In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, a group of brave men met in secret to hammer out a declaration of independence for a young America -- a formal line in the sand in which the group said they had gone far enough in allowing the king to control their lives and their pocketbooks.
Tomorrow we'll celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the signing of that historic document. Several years ago, I adopted what has become a tradition of rising early on the 4th of July to read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety. You can read it to by clicking here.
For many people, it would be a truly eye-opening experience to see exactly what our Founding Fathers were fighting for when they signed it. What was it they sought independence from? We all know it was England, but why? Did they simply not like afternoon tea and crumpets?
No, they were concerned that the king of England had claimed for himself too many rights that early Americans considered "unalienable," such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
As we pause from our day-to-day routines to enjoy time with friends and family, let's not forget the reason for the celebration and honor the men and women who made genuine sacrifice 233 years ago in hopes of bestowing upon our generation a legecy of freedom unlike that experienced by any other nation in the history of the world.