The First Law

"Why should I trade one tyrant three thousand miles away for three thousand tyrants one mile away? An elected legislature can trample a man's rights as easily as a king can."
--Benjamin Martin (The Patriot)

This weekend we celebrate the 235th anniversay of America's independence. The first law passed by the fledgling US Congress--passed while we were still subjects of the King of England--was the Declaration of Independence.

It declares that our freedoms come naturally from our humanity instead of from government. This was a very radical statement in 1776. At the time, it was presumed that the King granted rights to citizens. It also declared that when governments consistently usurp the natural right of people to be free, it is just for the people to 'throw off' that government in lieu of one that more consistently respects individual liberty.

Those who rose up against the British knew, like Jefferson, that these truths were self evident.

The Declaration of Independence is uniquely American. It defines our belief in the sovereignty of the individual.

These ideas still remain radical and elusive to operationalize.

Those seeking to do so can take solace in the fact that the first law is still law today.