We once again fast-forward and find ourselves, just a year later, back in Virginia, where, in May of 1776, George Mason, a neighbor of George Washington and a leader in the political discussions in the House of Burgesses, has drafted a series of statements about the inherent rights of men, and the role of good government. The Virginia House accepts these 16 statements on June 12, 1776 as the Virginia Declaration of Rights (see Appendix).1
Just days before on June 7th, Mason’s fellow Virginian, Richard Henry Lee, offered a resolution before the Congress meeting in Philadelphia. The resolution stated that the colonies “are and of right ought to be free and independent states.” After much deliberation, on June 11th the Congress authorized a committee of delegates to draft a declaration of independence.2
Committee members Benjamin Franklin (PA), John Adams (MA), Robert Livingston (NY) and Roger Sherman (CT) insisted on the fifth member of the committee, Thomas Jefferson (VA), to write the initial draft.3 Jefferson later stated that he did not invent any new ideas, but rather drew on the intentions and writings in broad circulation at the time.4 His discernment in choosing just the right words made it easy for the committee as a whole to edit his draft. Notably, one of the larger changes was the elimination of Jefferson’s denunciation of the slave trade.5 Unanimous support for independence was needed and the delegates from slaveholding colonies refused to support the language lambasting the slave trade. It should be noted that in 1775, some number of slaves were being held in almost all the colonies,6 even though many religious people, including many of the Founding Fathers, denounced the practice and sought abolition.7
The basic concepts of personal and national freedom are carefully spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. These core concepts function as a frame around our freedoms, designed to protect and preserve liberty. Knowledge and understanding of these concepts from their original intent is critical to the continuance of our nation as a sovereign entity among the nations of the world. Unless these concepts are clearly communicated to, and studied by each new generation, our nation will cease to exist in the form on which it was founded.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.”8
The Declaration states that the following “truths” are “self-evident,” which means these are universal truths for all peoples and for all times. The Founders began the nation by stating the fundamental truths: (1) there is a God who created us equally, (2) our rights come from God, not government, and (3) government is put in place by the people for the purpose of protecting these God-given rights. We must always remember the Source of these truths and principles is not a document written by man, and certainly not a government, but rather they come from our Creator God. He is also the Source of the “unalienable” (meaning absolute and fixed by God) rights that belong to every individual.9
We clearly see in this section that the role of “governments” is to secure these God-given rights. Governments are not the source of these rights, and any powers governments do obtain are derived first from God and then from the people that are governed…the citizens.
Although fighting had begun, it would be another 14 months before the colonists would declare their independence. They still considered themselves British citizens and sought all means possible to settle the conflict without a total break from England. For 11 years (from 1765 until 1776), the Americans worked hard to achieve reconciliation. In fact, even after armed battles had occurred not only in Massachusetts and Virginia but also in New Hampshire and New York, the Americans sent the Olive Branch Petition (1775) to the king, still seeking to peacefully settle their differences. But the king flatly rejected it without even reading it.10
By June 1776, the Continental Congress concluded that a peaceful resolution was not possible. In early July, the delegates spent several days debating whether to become a separate nation, and then in finalizing the wording of the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, the final wording was officially approved, and a few weeks later, 56 Founding Fathers signed the document. From Great Britain’s perspective, those 56 men were all traitors, making them legally subject to the death penalty.
The Declaration reflects many of the key Christian political principles embraced by America’s Founders in its opening pronouncement:
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness…11
America’s Founders believed that rights came from God; that government must be based on the consent of the governed; and that when governments become tyrannical that they may be resisted and replaced. The document ends by clearly affirming that the patriots had “a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”12 Academics and popular authors who contend that the Founders did not believe in God13 must have skipped this line.
Today, too little is known by the general public about those who risked so much. Many Americans no longer know much about their personal stories, occupations, sacrifices, religious faith, or families.
Because of the service they rendered for their country, many patriots were frequently separated from their families, often for long periods and sometimes forever. Among the signers of the Declaration, such is the story of Francis Lewis, who lost his wife at the hands of the British; John Witherspoon, whose son was killed by British soldiers; Richard Stockton, who was made a prisoner of war and was so abused by the British that his life was cut short, leaving his six children fatherless; and John Hart, who was driven by the British from the bedside of his beloved and ailing wife, whom he never saw again. There are many other heart-wrenching accounts.
The care, devotion, and affection so many Founding Fathers had for their family and children is well illustrated by the life of Patrick Henry. This remarkable leader gave much to help secure America’s freedom, and because of his great abilities and leadership, Virginia repeatedly called him to places of public trust. He was elected governor five times, including twice when he was not running.14
After decades of service, Henry declined these positions as he grew older, preferring to spend more time with his family (he had 15 children and 77 grandchildren). Visitors to his home reported finding him “lying on the floor with a group of these little ones climbing over him in every direction, or dancing around him with obstreperous [loud] mirth, to the tune of his violin, while the only contest seemed to be who should make the most noise.”15
Before we dive deeper into the principles in the Declaration upon which the American system of government was founded, two of the Declaration’s phrases need clarification:
First, how could the Founders say all men are created “equal” while maintaining slavery?
Second, what did they mean by the “pursuit of happiness?”
For a discussion regarding slavery and the Founders, watch the following video from the Foundations of Freedom video series and then listen to the audio below from WallBuilders Live!.
Radio Broadcast – Founding Fathers,
Why Did It Take So Long To End Slavery?
Foundations Of Freedom Thursday
A phrase in the Declaration that often causes confusion is the “pursuit of happiness.” This meant the right to “attempt to secure” or “pursue” happiness, not a guarantee of happiness or a re-distribution of happiness. Jefferson used this phrase from what was a common source of his day. “Pursuit of happiness” was defined and described by John Locke, a major influence on the American Founders, in his Essay on Human Understanding.16
Most people in Jefferson’s day used Locke’s phrase, “life, liberty, and property,” instead of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” At that time, the word “property” meant so much more than land or a home. It included both physical production from labor as well as intellectual property, both of which could bring about happiness. The same ideas can be found in the first section of the Virginia Declaration of Rights.17 Property is defined in Webster’s 1828 dictionary in this way:
“The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing; ownership. In the beginning of the world, the Creator gave to man dominion over the earth, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air, and over every living thing. This is the foundation of man’s property in the earth and all its productions. Prior occupancy of land and of wild animals gives the possessor the property of them. The labor of inventing, making or producing any thing constitutes one of the highest and most indefeasible titles to property . . . Literary property is the exclusive right of printing, publishing and making profit by one’s own writing.”18
At the time in England, property was owned by the kind and he may or may not decide to share some with the citizens. In this system, the right to pursue happiness through property of all kinds was limited to the king’s approval. The Declaration was doing something new – declaring the God-given right to pursue, acquire, possess, own, use and enjoy one’s own private property. This pursuit was where happiness was to be found.
When agreeing to the use of the phrase “pursuit of happiness,” the delegates to the Continental Congress were saying that true happiness arises from a person’s ability to use property (physical, intellectual, and produced), which is a gift of the Creator.