King Gavin Newsom of California (otherwise known as “Governor”) prohibited gatherings to celebrate America’s Declaration of Independence, so I was unable to have a large party at my home. Nonetheless, I celebrated with a few close friends. We decorated for fifty guests but only had four.
Many people are writing about the meaning of The Declaration of Independence—and the vast majority of them are getting it wrong. I want to share a brilliant article about the Declaration by C. Bradley Thompson.
It is a short, cogent article which identifies what Professor Thompson calls the American paradox—the “quintessential American riddle.” He provides answers to the paradox and solutions to the riddle. I hope you’ll read and forward this article, which is so full of gems. Let me share a few of them with you:
“The great paradox of the American promise. . . is that it unites two seemingly contradictory principles: equality and inequality.”
“Ultimately, equality means that all individuals must have the equal right to be free because freedom… is the necessary condition for human flourishing. Equal freedom and equal rights are what the Founding Fathers meant by equality. Equality does not, however, mean sameness.”
“All individuals are morally self-owning, which means that no man is by nature the ruler or slave of another.”
I am proud that Professor Thompson serves on my Boards of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE) and the Prometheus Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting Ayn Rand and advancing Objectivism.
Enjoy the article and the photographs.
