The Declaration of Independence, Unity and Love

Freedom is never granted; it is won. Justice is never given; it is exacted.

A. Philip Randolf                                                                              African-American Labor and Civil Rights Activist

During President Trump’s Oval Office interview on April 29, 2025, with ABC News reporter Terry Moran, the president showed him around the office and pointed out the copy of the Declaration of Independence which hung on the wall.

“What does it mean to you?” the reporter asked.

The president replied, "Well it means exactly what it says, it's a declaration, it's a declaration of unity and love and respect and it means a lot and it’s something very special to our country.”

Respect? Well, it does speak to a “respect to the opinions of mankind.”

Love? Not generic love. A love of liberty? Yes.

Unity? Of course not. In fact, the founders selected a title which makes clear its content – a document in which a group of people living in the colonies declared themselves to be independent from Great Britain and the tyrannical rule of King George III.

The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776, one year after the start of the Revolutionary War, and thirteen years before the Constitution was adopted. It contains the colonialists’ philosophy about government, evidence detailing oppressive acts by the King, their efforts to stop the oppression, and finally, their declaration that they will be operating as a free government, independent from England. It was also intended as a document which would persuade others to join their cause.

Knowledge is power. We must use this document to understand what is happening today, and to learn how to preserve and strengthen our democracy.

I have listed below important aspects of the Declaration of Independence, placing the quoted material in purple italics and sharing my reflections about how it applies today. As you read it, compare it to what is occurring today.

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The Preamble

…We hold these truths to be self-evident:

(1) that all men are created equal;

(2) that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;

(3) that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; 

(4) that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; 

(5) 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; and

(6) that, when a long train of abuses and usurpations…evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.

The Declaration is premised on the idea that “all men are created equal.” Scholars have different ideas about what Jefferson and the 50+ signatories to the document meant by this phrase. Who is included in “all men?” What did the idea of being “created equal” mean? Based on our knowledge about the signatories and the language used in the U.S. Constitution, many have concluded that “all men” excluded Blacks, women, and Native Americans. As a result of great sacrifices by many people since 1776, our Constitution is now premised on the notion that it applies to all people.

Another powerful notion in the preamble, is that in order to secure inalienable rights for all, we must create a government which derives its power from the consent of the people. Our government is still based on the consent of the people, directly, through state officials and those in the judicial and legislative branches. We do not have an autocracy, in which one person has absolute power. However, we do have a president who has at times acted in an autocratic manner. We are in danger of becoming an autocracy, if we fail to act now.   

Key Grievances

The Declaration contains 27 grievances against the King of Great Britain. Below are 15 of those grievances.  

…The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

The King:

has refused to approve laws which are necessary for the public good;

has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures;

has… obstruct[ed] the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither;  

has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries;

has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance;

has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power;

has… subject[ed} us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

·         For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world;

·         For imposing taxes on us without our consent;

·         For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury;

·         For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses;

·         For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments;

·         For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

has constrained our fellow citizens, taken captive on the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

Efforts Made to Oppose Oppression from the King

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress, in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Efforts Made to Inform the British People of the Oppression

We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.

We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.

We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred, to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.

They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity…

The Declaration

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America…do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare,

that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states;

that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown; 

that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved; and

that, as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do.

And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

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Application to Today

Abraham Lincoln, described the Declaration of Independence as “a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression.” The colonialists had to fight a war, declare independence, create the Constitution, hold the first presidential election and put into place the three separate branches of government.

Two hundred and fifty years later, we face a clear and present threat to our democracy and way of life. We have the benefit of their work, strengthened and improved by generations of law and practices developed during the numerous struggles throughout our history.

We do not need to create a new form of government. We do not need to fight a war. We do, however, need to vigorously and systematically exercise our rights and demand that the president, Congress and the judiciary follow and enforce the Constitution and other laws, including:

·        the operation of three, separate and equal branches of government, each with specific duties and limitations, along with the system of checks and balances

·        conducting fair and accurate elections which preserves everyone’s right to vote

·        providing due process and equal protection of the law

·        protecting the freedoms of speech, assembly, religion, the press, the right to make grievances, and the separation of church and state

·        enforcing the law against warrantless or unreasonable search or seizure

·        providing an attorney for people charged with a crime

·        prohibiting cruel and unusual punishments and denying reasonable bail

Our democracy will not be saved by elected officials or corporations. Most politicians are motivated by money and power. They want to win elections and typically do so by accepting large donations and perks from corporations, lobbyists, and the wealthy, while also trying to please, or spin, their constituents.

Large corporations and their top executives, who are the major contributors to candidates, are motivated by power and profit, which is evaluated every quarter. We can affect those profits, by no longer spending money with businesses who have financially supported and followed the demands of  those working to dismantle the Constitution, while giving our business to those who support our constitutional values and rules.

In addition to making thoughtful spending decisions, our power lies in: (1) consistently demanding that elected officials fight to preserve the Constitution and spirit of the Declaration of Independence; (2) using our First Amendment and voting rights to press for essential laws; (3) requiring the constitutional enforcement of the law; and (4) supporting candidates who support our values through action.     

Activism works. So what I’m telling you to do now, is to act.                               Because no one is too small to make a difference.

Greta Thunberg

                                                    Swedish climate change& Amnesty International Ambassador

It has always been individuals working together for a common cause, who have created meaningful change.

·         We must come together with others who share a commitment to preserving and strengthening the values and law contained in our Constitution.

·         We must engage in consistent, sustained, collective action, exercising our First Amendment rights.

·         We must engage in actions that make sense for ourselves: write or call your elected officials, attend a protest or rally, attend a city or county commission or school board meeting, attend an in-person or virtual town hall meeting, share information and support others on social media, volunteer with an organization, or donate to a relevant cause.

·         We must demand action from officials from both parties. Many Democrats are not doing enough.

·         We must work for fair elections and vote, supporting candidates who are actively fighting for our democracy and meaningful ballot initiatives.

·         We must vote with our dollars by boycotting businesses who support or give in to the demands of the administration and spending money with those who stand-up to the administration and share our democratic values.

·         We must engage in civil, in-person conversations sharing our personal concerns and stories.

·         We must engage in self-care and connect with, support, and sustain others.  

·         We must educate ourselves, ask questions, and share information with others.

·         We must exercise courage.  

·         We must act now.

Take a step tomorrow. It’s later than we think.

Christine Yared

May 13, 2025