This morning in the Chicago Tribune, columnist Dawn Turner Trice noted that in the Declaration of Independence, the most often quoted line is about our unalienable rights. But the document actually ends with a thought about our citizen responsibilities:
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.
I don't much go in for the "What the Founders meant by this" arguments. Because context matters and anyway; we don't know. But I think Turner Trice has nailed it by saying that in our divisive blah-blah-election year-blah-blah we ought to take a minute to remember that we are responsible to each other for something. And our independent spirit is great, but there are other ideals just as lofty that should not be ignored.
Haven't read the document lately? Please click here.
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