On this day 238 years ago, just after John Hancock made
the most indelible signature in all of history, our namesake Benjamin Franklin
uttered, "We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall
all hang separately." Notorious for his sharp wit, Franklin was not one to
pass on an opportunity to make a pun, but this one-liner spoke both to the gravity
of the Founders' situation and the eternal fragility of freedom.
As they lined up to sign the Declaration of Independence,
the Founding Fathers one by one became traitors to the world's most powerful
Empire, and faced the very real danger of "hanging separately" even
if they hung together. They were among the first to risk their lives for the
new United States of America, and they would hardly be the last.
Franklin's quote, however, applies just as much to the
content of the Declaration as to its signers. Freedom is singular, not plural,
and an attack on one right that our Founders put their lives on the line for is
an attack on our broader liberty.
Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to
vote, and all the other privileges we enjoy are inseparable from one
another--and when government encroaches on one, each of them are in danger of
"hanging separately."
The Fourth of July is a day to celebrate our freedom and
all the men and women who have stood up for it--from Franklin and Jefferson to
those fighting for liberty around the world today. I hope you and your family
enjoy your holiday weekend.
Best regards,
Jason Stverak
President, Franklin Center for Government & Public
Integrity
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