This is from The Foundry, the Blog of The Heritage Foundation today.
America was born on July 4, 1776, with the passage of the Declaration of Independence. Today, as we celebrate our great country 235 years later, we reflect upon its meaning.
The Declaration announced to the world that the American colonies were free and independent states. But this alone does not make the document or America revolutionary. What is revolutionary about the Declaration is not that a particular group of Americans declared their independence under particular circumstances but that they did so by appealing to a universal standard of justice: equality. What is revolutionary about America is that it is built upon a foundation of universal principles, not petty interests.
This is the core of American exceptionalism. As Matthew Spalding explains:
America is an exceptional nation, but not because of what it has achieved or accomplished. America is exceptional because, unlike any other nation, it is dedicated to the principles of human liberty, grounded on the truths that all men are created equal and endowed with equal rights.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
