To me, July Fourth is the birthday of our nation. I believed as a boy, and believe even more today, that it is the birthday of the greatest nation on earth.
We do know for certain that 56 men, a little band so unique we have never seen their like since, had pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to our beloved Declaration of Independence. Some gave their lives in the war that followed, most gave their fortunes, and all preserved their sacred honor. Thomas Nelson Jr, was actually a family member of mine. He would be my great-great-great-great uncle of mine. He personally urged George Washington to fire on his own home (The Nelson Home) and destroy it when it became the headquarters for General Cornwallis. He died bankrupt, as did many of the men who staked their lives to give us the freedom we enjoy today.
Let us always remember those who have gone before us in this great nation. And let us remember as President Ronald Regan once said, Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people.
God Bless The United States of America!