We’re fast approaching the 4th of July, or as I like to call it, Francis Hopkinson Day.
Sure, most call it Independence Day, but that’s a bit generic. I believe in giving credit where it’s due. We could just as easily call it William Whipple Day or Carter Braxton Day. Hopkinson, Whipple and Braxton were among signers of the Declaration of Independence from, respectively, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Virginia.
In a nation of heroes spanning 250 years of our history, it would be difficult to top the courage shown by the 56 men who signed the declaration. Unlike heroism that occurs in an instant, these men had plenty of time to consider their decision and even more time to think about what would happen to them if their quest failed. This was treason and would lead to punishment by death if the revolution faltered.
Of course, the declaration is remembered most of all for the poetic purpose contained in its second sentence:
“We 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 declaration largely consists of 27 complaints against the British Crown, each representing an unaddressed grievance. The Colonies were angry about taxation without representation, wanted independent judges, sought the right to pass local laws and insisted on free trade, among other concerns.
A signal to the world
The declaration was a signal to the world that breaking away was the only option remaining for the Colonies. In essence, it was the fledgling nation saying “Look, we’re sane and reasonable men and this is the last thing we wanted. But we have no choice.”
King George III, who had been repeatedly attacked as a tyrant in the declaration, was not sympathetic.
“No people ever enjoyed more happiness, or lived under a milder government, than those now revolted provinces,” he responded in his first public remarks after receiving the document.
There was clearly no turning back for the Colonies. There would either be continued subjugation or a path to an unprecedented form of government founded on freedom.
The signers continued to serve their country in myriad ways. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson served as president. Others went on to become governors or serve other state leadership roles. Six of the signers also signed the U.S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin went on to become, well, Benjamin Franklin.
Others remained lawyers (the predominant profession) or returned to their roles as plantation owners and merchants.
About Francis Hopkinson
For all of their accomplishments, though, few displayed the range of Francis Hopkinson of New Jersey. He was a man of the arts who is widely credited with designing the American flag. (Sorry, Betsy.) He was a satirist and musician, and is believed to have been the first successful secular songwriter in America. He also pioneered the staging of opera in this country, and spent the later years of his life as a federal judge. Remarkably, his great-grandson Francis Hopkinson Smith designed and built the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.
The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence is the most beautiful, but its final sentence spells out what was at stake for the signers: “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.”
That is the true spirit of America – a determination to fight for what is right regardless of the odds and consequences. Time and again over 250 years, we’ve seen Americans use their rights to fight injustice and make this the “more perfect union” promised by the U.S. Constitution.
On this 4th of July, we might want to turn John Phillips’ music down a bit and reflect on the men and women who have brought us this far. In his 1828 book Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Augustus Goodrich wrote that 56 signers were “either to die in the assertion of their unalienable rights, or to establish American liberty upon a solid foundation.” Mission accomplished.
Ken Paulson is director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University.