Independence Day is upon us. It was 243 years ago that the Continental Congress passed a resolution declaring that the 13 American colonies were an independent nation - what we call the Declaration of Independence. It was signed by 56 men and distributed amongst the colonists – and sent to King George III, the king of England, who ignored it. He made no written response or public comment on the document until October.

Why did we need a Declaration of Independence? The colonists had been at war with England for over a year before the Declaration was signed. They would be at war for another seven years after it passed the Continental Congress. First, it might be helpful to understand why a revolution occurred in the first place. At the heart of it all was a desire by the colonists to set their own course and choose their own representatives. England was ruled by a monarch and its people were represented by members of Parliament. The colonists were not represented, but were obligated to abide by the laws of England. The decisions that impacted their lives were decided in merry old England and they had no say so in their own governance. That came to a head when the king began to impose taxes on them, but would not allow them to have any representation in Parliament. People began to revolt against these taxes, which came to a confrontation in Boston. On March 5, 1770 - six years before the Declaration - five people were shot to death by British soldiers during a riot that became known as the Boston Massacre. This fueled unrest. Three years later, in response to the Tea Act, colonists protested by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. Things were getting out of hand for the Brits. They closed Boston Harbor and dissolved the Massachusetts Bay Charter, in essence declaring martial law in the state. In response, militias began forming, among common people, causing a threat to British rule. In an attempt to find hidden weapons and thwart these militias, British troops marched through the night to Concord, Massachusetts. On April 19, 1775, early in the morning, they were met by the patriot force we know as the Minutemen. After a series of skirmishes throughout the day, the British troops were forced back to Boston. Within a year, they were forced to evacuate the city in retreat.

In an attempt to gain freedoms that were denied them by the king, the 13 colonies elected representatives that made up the Continental Congress. They met in Philadelphia. They established their own currency and appointed a Continental Army under the leadership of George Washington. All of this was, of course, illegal under the laws of England. They were acting as if they were their own nation, not a satellite of the crown. And they really had very little chance of making it on their own for very long. Within weeks of the Declaration of Independence, King George had sent over 30,000 troops to capture New York, driving the rebels from Long Island. Their currency was devalued and they were on the verge of being defeated. They needed help. They needed others to see their plight and join their cause. So the 56 men who had been chosen to represent their fellow colonists made a bold move. They officially declared the independence of the people of the United States. They listed their grievances against King George and made a bold statement that they would henceforth be a new, sovereign nation.

The Declaration of Independence forced a couple of steps to move forward. First, it made it impossible to go back to the ways things had been before. Up to this point, people on both sides of the fight thought there may be a way to find middle ground with King George and the list of grievances the Americans had with him and the colonies would remain a part of Britain. This paper said that would not happen. The United States would be its own nation. Secondly, it caused other nations, especially those at odds with England (such as France) to support the American cause. Now the United States had allies with money and military strength. That was important to get the British to back down, which they did in 1783.

Here are some things you should consider during this Independence Day.

• Declaring freedom is a bold statement that comes with great responsibility and great peril. Consider that of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, five were captured, found guilty of treason and then executed. Nine of them died while fighting the revolution. Over the next seven years after they signed the Declaration, many were left destitute, as their family fortunes were confiscated and looted. Many of their family members were arrested and put in prison. Some died there. They paid a great price for their boldness.
• Their struggle became our freedoms. After the Revolutionary War, some of these same men* came together to create our Constitution - a document that has stood the test of time. It is one thing to declare your independence, it is quite another to create a lasting nation. Yet, we would not have known the freedoms we have today had it not been for their hard times. It is not difficult to see that they wanted to ensure that citizens of the United States would be guaranteed the freedoms they had been denied until they fought long and hard to attain them.
• The flag of the United States meant something to them. It was a symbol of common people rising up to make a better life for themselves. This was pretty much a foreign concept in 1776, where your lot in life was set by your heredity. Unless you were born into royalty or wealth, you had no voice in the direction of your life. There were few rulers and there were many commoners. The American Revolution was the spark that changed all of that and made it possible for us to advance beyond our bloodline. Keep that in mind when you see the flag flying this Fourth of July.

Enjoy July 4th. Most of all, enjoy your freedom and respect the price many have paid for us to celebrate this day.

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*Six of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence also signed the U.S. Constitution: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman and James Wilson.

The Sacrifices Made By The Declaration Signers, by Michael W. Smith, michaelwsmith.com, July 4, 2015.

Eight Myths about the Constitution, Pieces of History, by Bryson 417, National Archives, September 16, 2013