A Libertarian Manifesto: July 4th, 1776

As we come closer to the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776, we do well to remember that the central reason for declaring Independence from Britain was because it was no longer a libertarian government. It had become a threat to our unalienable God-given rights to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Declaration of Independence is a manifesto of libertarian thinking.

It is sad but undeniable that most Americans no longer share the libertarian perspective of America's Founding Fathers. Most Americans wouldn't care if our government did the things that Britain did - acts that caused the Founders to risk "our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor" to fight for Liberty and fight against offenses that are the very definition of a "tyranny." Americans wouldn't care because they already tolerate a government that is much worse than the one denounced in the Declaration of Independence.

People who are not libertarians don't write things like the Declaration of Independence.

If called to write a new Declaration, Republicans and Democrats would appeal to America's new anti-libertarian spirit and speak of entitlements, not liberties. It would not be a call for Independence from a non-libertarian government, but a call for greater dependence on the omnipotent source of our few remaining rights, the distributor of our wealth, and the guarantor of our security. In an excellent article, David Barton, in the Summer 2006 issue of the Wallbuilders newsletter, quotes John Adams:

It must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation’s humble acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling providence.

Today's federal government is the greatest threat to our security, the greatest threat to our liberties, and the greatest threat to our prosperity. Read the Declaration of Independence once again, and notice that Liberty is the dominant theme throughout.