“Oppressive taxes, overreaching and intrusive governance, sprawling, imperialistic foreign policy. These were the principal characteristics of government America’s founding fathers sought to free its population from when they drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence.

“It’s what countless brave citizens and ragtag, mostly untrained “soldiers” died for during the revolutionary war. Our forefathers believed that government should be small and limited in its power, and they openly called upon citizens to rise up and revolt should government ever overextend its reach.

“I daresay, our founding fathers and those brave men who gave their lives for the ideal of a society based almost solely on the sovereignty of the Individual, would have not risked everything if they could have foreseen the reality of today’s government.

“I, for one, am happy they could not. Regardless of the result, their bold endeavor proved to be one of the most critically important turning points in human history. In addition, their works and writings are inspirational and remain, to this day, truly revolutionary.

It’s sad that most Americans have very little to no appreciation for the vast intelligence, wit, and logical prowess with which our founding fathers spoke, argued, wrote, and utilized to propel their vision into existence against overwhelming odds.

“I observe Independence Day as a memorial to them, and to what they so bravely attempted to create. However, I cannot look upon this day as a current celebration of any kind. It is a salute backwards in time, and in a sense is a mourning for the disintegration and irreparable corruption of their core ideals.”

Chris Aldred, my friend since kindergarten, on Facebook

Two hundred fifty years ago today, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence with a unanimous vote. This radical, revolutionary act against Great Britain, a comparatively benign, gentle master, was considered treasonous. It led to the establishment of the freest and, consequently, greatest nation in world history.

That this happened at all is certainly cause for celebration. The unprecedented culture, industry, wealth, prosperity, and technology it unleashed, vestiges of which still surround us, is also cause for celebration.

But is it cause for unqualified, unrestrained, unreflective celebration?

Is America fundamentally the same nation today?

Is it a nation in which the citizen is sovereign, not the government? It is a country that recognizes the freedom of the individual from state power? Is it a country that consistently recognizes and celebrates independence of any kind?