“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 … ”
After all the debate, and all the edits, and well before John Hancock and the rest of the signers put quill to paper, this version of the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.
It was actually a long list of grievances against the King. But what it meant was that we would form our own nation, because we had “certain unalienable Rights” and would no longer tolerate a monarch denying them.
We have worked every day since across this nation to bring a greater truth to “all Men are created equal.”
On this Independence Day, let’s celebrate how close we are to marriage equality. Let’s protect the tuition equity DREAMer students now have in Virginia. Let’s redouble our efforts to make affordable and quality health care possible for every Virginia family.
Happy July 4th!
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