#2 The American Experiment at 250: We Must Uphold the Key Truths of July 4, 1776

The truths in the Declaration of Independence about human nature, unalienable rights, and government by consent are America's foundation; today's disregard of truth threatens the republic's existence.

In Defense of: The Declaration of Independence; Formally adopted on July 4, 1776

The heart of the matter: The Declaration of Independence inaugurated the American experiment in ordered liberty, and failure to uphold its original meaning would endanger history's most durable and successful example of self-government.

WHAT THE DECLARATION GOT RIGHT

Two-and-a-half centuries ago, the founders based the American experiment on the self-evident truth of five key propositions: (1) all men are created equal; (2) they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness; (3) the purpose of government is to secure these rights; (4) governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed; and (5) citizens have the right to abolish a government if it is “destructive of these ends.”

WHERE WE’VE GONE WRONG

In our postmodern age, we question the very idea of truth. For many, the highest value—the central unalienable right—is now each person’s right to disregard objective truth and decide for himself what he accepts as true for himself. An emblematic example of this is U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s “mystery passage” in Planned Parenthood v. Casey: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” This sentiment sounds sugary sweet, but it reveals relativism’s inherent viciousness: Casey upheld the constitutional right to abortion—somehow, the “right to define one’s own concept of existence” authorizes the killing of innocent human beings.