Tomorrow, we as a people celebrate one of the most important days in history: July 4, 1776, when just a handful of brave men did the unthinkable. They told the most powerful government on Earth that Americans would no longer live under their rule. They declared that Americans were free – not the subjects of a king.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all people have inalienable rights that no man, king, or government had the power to take away.

This simple truth gave birth to America, the first and only country in the world founded on an idea. The idea that all men and women are born free. It’s our job, mine and yours, to protect that idea from those who wish to destroy our inalienable rights.

After WWII, we used to celebrate Independence day with patriotic music and speeches. We thought about what individual freedom meant for a day. Yes we had picnics and shot off fireworks but mainly it was a day to consider how we wanted our country to be governed. I hope you think about that today. In the end, individual freedom is what matters.

Happy Independence Day!