Independence, Declaration thereof,

The Declaration of Independence is our nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and President Jefferson's most enduring monument. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration expressed, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people, then and now.
The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. Here Jefferson summarized this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.
The Declaration reports in a manner of a natural philosopher to the world what are the particular causes of this particular physical event. It presents an objectivity, not a presentation of some public controversy, on which good and decent people could differ.
America and England were already separated by the more basic fact that they had become two different peoples. Their political, intellectual, social, moral, and cultural differences could no more be repaired, as Thomas Paine said, than one could "restore to us the time that is past" or "give to prostitution its former innocence."
The purpose of the Declaration was simply to "declare" - that is: to announce publicly in explicit terms the "causes" which were impelling the newly formed Republic to leave the British empire.

The estimated population of the USA at the time of the Declaration was 2.5 million. As of July, 2009, the population is estimated to be 306,809,221.
Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom reached over $107 billion, making the British (our adversary in 1776) our sixth-leading trading partner today.
We import millions of dollars of fireworks annually for July 4th celebrations. The USA manufactures more than $350 million fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems. On the Fourth of July, tons of beef and/or pork hot dogs, steaks and burgers are cooked on outdoor barbecues in celebrations nationwide.
Celebrate. Reflect. Indulge. Enjoy. I intend to.
Naomi Sherer