Celebrating Our Independence - July 4th

There will be no shortage of grand celebrations today, July 4th.  And for good reason.  Even back in July of 1776, John Adams, in a letter to his wife, predicted that the signing of the Declaration of Independence would "be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival."  However, Adams thought July 2nd would be the "big day", because that was when the Continental Congress voted for independence....in the typical style of politicians, it took two full days of debating to hammer out the details.  Finally, on July 4th, the document was released to the public.  And the rest, of course, is history.

Although it's not nearly as festive as fireworks, every year I download a copy of the Declaration of Independence and read it.  The famous line we all recognize is "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The passages that follow, however, often get forgotten, and for me they are a pleasant reminder about how my career as a lawyer is connected to the struggle for freedom they started so long ago.  Part of the tyranny of King George involved his repeated attempts to limit the power of the courts, and also "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury". 

After their long battle for independence, the Colonists eventually established an independent court system, along with the right of everyone to a jury trial for criminal and civil cases...in other words, protection for everyone whose life, liberty, or property was at risk.  For me, it is an honor to serve as an attorney, because we are vehicles for helping carry out the intent of that ancient document, one client at a time, and, when necessary, one jury trial at a time.

As part of your celebration today, I invite you take a few quiet minutes and read the text that started our revolution for freedom.  Happy Independence Day.