Do we hold these truths to be self-evident?

“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.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Robert Hemmings stayed in a house on this site in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. He was 14 years old, and Thomas Jefferson’s enslaved bodyservant. Was Robert here in the house with Jefferson as he wrote these famous words? Could he hear the scratch of quill on parchment?

The moral contradictions have been present since the very founding moment of our country, when pen met paper in Philadelphia at the corner of 7th Street and Market Street. For 250 years, to be American has been to live with the hope of freedom and the reality of oppression under the same roof. Liberty is won inch by inch, generation after generation. The work continues.

Take a moment this week to read the Declaration (linked in bio). It’s shorter than you might think. Consider the progress we’ve made toward securing those rights for all. Consider how much further there is to go. 250 years later, the work of liberty remains unfinished.

Your Humble Servant,

Silence Dogood