With the signing of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago, America’s founders accomplished something new under the sun: They brought into existence a nation rooted in the belief that individuals are by nature free and equal. This year marks another achievement for the Declaration: Never before has a nation dedicated to securing its citizens’ unalienable rights—the rights inherent in all human beings—persevered for 250 years. Notwithstanding the social and political turmoil currently roiling the nation, America has done much more than persevere. No multireligious, multiracial, and multiethnic nation-state in history has more successfully established freedom and equality under law, promoted economic prosperity, and developed the capabilities to defend itself by projecting military power around the world.
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