The Declaration of Independence

“Those people who are not governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.” – William Penn

Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was the main charter and guiding spirit of our governmental structure for 11 years, from 1776 to 1787, when the Constitution based on the principles of the Declaration was adopted and ratified?

The Declaration states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” and “To secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” and “the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.”

Congress insisted upon two insertions: “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions” and in the very last sentence of the Declaration of Independence, they strengthened their affirmation of our dependence on God by adding the words: “…with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.”

The Founding Fathers, you see, were most explicit. They were God-fearing men.

Mark Corcoran