The Declaration of Independence, written thirteen years before our government was established, was the justification for both revolution and the founding of a nation. It clearly describes the Founders’ vision of a free, self-governing society, and distinguishes our inherent right to separate from England as free men. All of the values we cherish–liberty, opportunity, self-determination–are contained within this document.

As you take a moment to reflect upon our independence, make it a point to consider how far we have come as a nation, and how much further we still have yet to go. Today is a day on which all Americans should proclaim independence from stale rhetoric and divisive politics and join together to build of our future. We need to quit asserting we want to take our nation back; instead, we must take it forward.

Read the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776