"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed ... with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...."
~ Declaration of Independence, In Congress
"Throughout the history of Europe, the values and ideas of its people never changed on one basic point: Europe is a state-worshipping culture. It has always worshipped the power of the state, whether in the form of absolute monarchs or, later, of collectivists. European societies have never understood the importance of the individual and of individual rights. Individualism is an American concept. Obviously, some people in Europe understand it, but they are the exceptions. Because European culture is so steeped in the altruist idea that man must exist for others, the greatest distinction the European can dream of is to serve, or be rewarded by, the state. The state is regarded as an almost supernatural being and the individual citizen as just a serf.
"In America, it is exactly the opposite. America is the first country in history that was deliberately and consciously founded on a certain philosophy. It is a philosophy, rooted in Aristotelianism, which respects the individual and holds that society should be based on individual rights. This principle was formulated for the first time in the United States by the Founding Fathers. It is so great an achievement that centuries from now, men should kneel when they think of what their forefathers created in this country. Yet today, the greatest and noblest country in the world is being denounced and demeaned in every way ..."
~ Ayn Rand from her 1980 interview with Raymond Newman, collected in the book Objectively Speaking
"It is in this context — from the perspective of the bloody millennia of mankind’s history — that I want you to look at the birth of a miracle: the United States of America. If it is ever proper for men to kneel, we should kneel when we read the Declaration of Independence."~ Ayn Rand from her talk on the 150th birthday of the Declaration: 'The Moral Factor' [emphasis mine]
RELATED:
Here are some resources for those who want to explore the deeper significance of the Declaration:
Ayn Rand on “America” (from The Ayn Rand Lexicon)
Ayn Rand on the “Founding Fathers” (from The Ayn Rand Lexicon)
Ayn Rand on “Man’s Rights” and “The Nature of Government” (essays available here)
“Atlas Shrugged: America’s Second Declaration of Independence” (essay by Onkar Ghate)
“The Meaning of Independence Day” (video by Mike Berliner)
Boston Tea Party – July 4 keynote (by Yaron Brook)
“Atlas Shrugged: A Paean to American Liberty” (op-ed by Don Watkins)
“Kagan’s Updated Declaration of Independence” (blog post by Tom Bowden)
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