StanleyWheeler

 

"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--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right to the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

It's fitting--imperative even--that we remember these words from the Declaration of Independence on this 4th of July, this Independence Day, as we celebrate and commemorate the great Declaration--as John Adams foresaw. John Ferling, in his book Independence; The Stuggle to Set American Free, recounts that the great triumvirate of the American Revolution, according to countless orators, consisted of Washington, the Revolution's mighty "sword"; Adams, its resounding "tongue"; and Jefferson, its elequent "pen." Ferling goes on to state that "Jefferson wrote about the threats faced by his generation, but he succeeded in penning a timeless message, an affirmation of human liberty and dignity that has captured the hopes of succeeding generations."

Ferling characterizes Adams as the most important man in Congress in the the long struggle for independence. Adams was often obnoxious in the eyes of some, but he found wisdom and soon began to manage the matter masterfully as he "sought to assuage the reconciliationists," (those who wanted to reconcile with Britain) and allow them to come to the eventual realization that their hopes were forlorn. By the summer of 1776, Adams knew that the fruit was ripe. He could "make 13 clocks strike precisely alike, at the Same Second." The vote for independence could not be stopped.

The Declaration of Independence is the great stake, the anchor driven into the granite cliff face, upon which depends the nation and the idea that is America. It is the declaration of our aspiration and hopes. The Constitution is the chain which binds us to the aspiration, the means by which we seek to make the aspirations reality. 

If you love the story of the American struggle for independence, and have an affinity for fantasy elements, including dragons and other strange creatures, you'll love the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series, available here.