As we celebrate Independence Day, let us remember that the Founders of the United States pointed the way for us to heal the deep divisions that fracture our nation today. The Declaration of Independence states, “[w]e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The Founders who wrote those words had not achieved that ideal. For example, many states allowed slavery of African Americans. But they wrote these important words to guide future generations of Americans to the path forward, so we can “form a more perfect union,” as the Preamble to the Constitution states.
These words guided our nation to end slavery through the upheaval of the Civil War. As brutal and as bloody as that period of history was, the ultimate outcome was one that our Founding Fathers had hoped for in our founding documents.
When that war was finally in its dying gasps, Congress boldly moved to outlaw slavery in the Constitution. The House of Representatives invited the Reverend Henry Highland Garnet to deliver a sermon in its chamber in the U.S. Capitol at a church service on Sunday, February 12, 1865.
Since 1800, the House of Representatives had authorized the Chaplain to hold “divine services” in its Congressional chambers. The House had just passed the Thirteenth Amendment after the Senate had passed it nearly a year prior. The states would now vote on the proposed Amendment which they would ratify in December 1865. To commemorate the approaching end of slavery in our nation, Congress invited a former slave and pastor of a Washington, D.C. church to speak.
Rev. Garnet’s sermon was appropriately titled, “Let the Monster Perish.” At the end of his rebuke of politicians who displayed Pharisaical tendencies by continuing to advocate for the degradation of their fellow man through slavery, Rev. Garnet concluded, “God of our fathers, over sand and sea, still keep our struggling footsteps close to thee! Then before us a path of prosperity will open, and upon us will descend the mercies and favors of God. Then shall the people of other countries, who are standing on the shores of every ocean, earnestly looking to see the end of this amazing conflict, behold a Republic that is sufficiently strong to outlive the ruin and desolations of civil war, having the magnanimity to do justice to the poorest and weakest of her citizens. Thus, shall we give to the world the form of a model Republic, founded on the principles of justice and humanity and Christianity, in which the burdens of war and the blessings of peace are equally borne and enjoyed by all.”
These words echo what our Founders envisioned: A nation where the government recognizes that each person is “endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights” and creates the means to promote and protect that self-evident truth. Our nation would reform its flaws when “we the people” work for “a more perfect Union,” as we did in abolishing slavery.
We can learn from that example today. Much of our national discourse seems to rely on degrading our neighbors because of their beliefs. That creates conflict and division. We too often assume that advocating a different view on a difficult subject can only come from evil motives or stupidity, rather than reasoned, good faith disagreement.
If we view others with respect the way Declaration of Independence says, we should, as significant individuals “endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights,” our national discourse would improve. We could then move forward to unity and “a more perfect union” by following the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Our forebears from the Civil War era, including the Rev. Garnet, and their work ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment provides a sterling example of the process of working toward life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all of us.
As our nation celebrates its 248th birthday this July 4th, let’s remember our commitment to unity. We must recognize the dignity and fundamental rights of all people, not just some, so that we can walk closer to ensuring that “the blessings of peace are equally borne and enjoyed by all.”
Jordan Lorence is senior counsel and director of strategic engagement with Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal).
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