4th of July

"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."

- from the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia, July 4, 1776

"The secret to happiness is freedom. The secret to freedom is courage."

- Thucydides

Of course, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, James Madison, et. al. did not have google. Yet, I am certain that these Founding Fathers of the American Republic knew Thucydides. 

Courage, they certainly had. They bet with their own lives that liberty was more important than simple life itself. They would rather die fighting for freedom than continue living in tyranny. We all know, they won their freedom. But it wasn't free. 

In 1776, Washington was 45, Adams 41, Jefferson 33, and Madison 25. 25 years old! All were wealthy, and had stature. And they were willing to lose all of it.

Courage, indeed.