The 4th of July is right around the corner. I think we should all take a moment and review what it is to be an American citizen. Around the turn of the last century, the “American Creed” was written.

“I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.” (Written by William Tyler Page, 1917, passed by Congressional Resolution April 3, 1918) 

Decades ago, the “American Creed” was in common use. Along with George Washington’s farewell address it was often found printed in the back of school textbooks. We don’t hear too much about it anymore. 

Up until the United States came along, the governments of every country on Earth for roughly the last five thousand years of human civilization were all based on the divine right of kings. The idea was God’s power passed to one man who then would “rule” over his “subjects.” The founders of the United States were all educated during the “enlightenment” period (most of the 1700s) where philosophers throughout Europe questioned traditional government authority. 

Ideas like the rule of law (instead of the whims of a king), separation of powers, the importance of small government, limited to a short list of specific powers, and above all, a constitution that protects the sovereignty of the individual citizen by ensuring God-given rights are guaranteed and protected by the government. The many writings and testimonies of the founders are full of these thoughts and sentiments. 

Our founders created a special form of federal constitutional republic, with democratically-elected representatives whose number-one job is to protect the rights of the citizens. Then they separated the powers of this new “federalism” style of government into three pieces; Local, State, and Federal government, each with its own specific powers. They created a three-headed beast and empowered any two of these parts to join forces and gang-up on the third, checking its power. 

As I see counties and states around the country passing resolutions and laws to check the power of the federal leviathan; states pushing-back on the Fed’s 30×30 land grab; counties passing 2nd Amendment sanctuary resolutions; states joining forces to secure the border and citizens speaking against deviant sex education standards at school board meetings. These examples are happening all over the country and they are growing more frequent and numerous. 

I smile inside because that is two-hundred year-old genius on display. That is our three-headed system actually working as it was designed. We have good reason to be proud we are Americans this 4th of July.