The First American Heroes—the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

By Larry Peterson

Independence Day is a great holiday in the United States of America. We Americans celebrate a system of government that was created by men for men---for the people. It was an unheard of and noble endeavor. Fifty-six men joined together and signed the document  It is known to us as the Declaration of Independence.

Upon placing their signatures on that document they  became instant traitors to the ruling monarchy. That was none other than Great Britain and King George III. Great Britain was the most powerful country in the world. The penalty for each of them was death. They all knew this and signed anyway. FREEDOM was their reason. It was more precious to them than their own lives.

As we celebrate the 248th Birthday of the greatest country ever imagined, I ask this question. How many of us have actually given any of these 56 men, who put their lives on the line, any thought? Do you know any of their names? Do you have any idea of what happened to them? Probably not.

Three names that most Americans know are Thomas Jefferson (who wrote the Declaration) John Hancock (the First Signer) and Benjamin Franklin (the great statesman and inventor whose picture is on the One Hundred Dollar bill). I am sure there are those of us who do know many of the signer’s names and something about them. To those of you who do not, let me introduce you to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence (this link is to the National Archives and profiles each of the signers of this great American document.

On July 4th we not only celebrate our American freedoms we honor those men who fought and died for that freedom. Signers of the Declaration were farmers and merchants and lawyers and men from all walks of life and they joined together to pass down to us their hopes and dreams and were willing to die for their principles. Many of them did just that.

Now it is 2024 and our religious freedoms are under attack. Make no mistake, they are. The very principles that the founders of our country were willing to die for are being seriously threatened. A secular world has declared a war on God and would like to see His name removed from anything in the public domain. Our own president, when talking about the Declaration of Independence, has omitted the word Creator many times.

The first sentence of the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence is as follows: “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---.”

Our president and all who follow his lead are making a mistake. Our Creator is at the very core of what this nation stands for. We may have taken a detour here and there but, I believe, that when all is said and done it will always be "God Bless America" and "God Bless the USA". Our Creator is in our American genetics and our American DNA. According to science, you cannot change DNA.

We ask God's blessings for all Americans, not only on this 4th of July,2024 but every day during this year and all coming years. And, let us offer a prayer for the courageous, principled signers of the Declaration of Independence. Many of them gave their lives for their love of freedom and 248 years later we still owe them the freedoms we enjoy.

 "In God We Trust".

 Copyright©Larry Peterson 2024