THE TRUTH THAT MADE AMERICA FREE: Reclaiming the Moral Clarity of 1776

Keynote Address by the Hon. William Wagner, Distinguished Professor Emeritus on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the American nation.

As Americans gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth, we should do more than remember our history.  We should recover the moral clarity that gave birth to the American experiment in ordered liberty.

Two hundred fifty years ago, the signers of the Declaration of Independence made a remarkable claim. They did not appeal to political power, public opinion, or government authority.  They appealed to truth. 

They declared that certain truths are self evident and that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. 

That declaration changed the world.

The founders understood a principle that many in our culture now reject.  Rights do not come from government. Government exists to secure rights that already belong to every person by virtue of their humanity. The Creator grants those rights. Government recognizes and protects them. It does not create them. This understanding rests upon natural law. Natural law teaches that objective moral truths exist and that human beings can know those truths through reason, conscience, and divine revelation. The founders believed that freedom requires virtue - and that virtue requires truth. Today, many Americans embrace a very different worldview.  Relativism increasingly replaces objective truth. Personal preference often outweighs moral principle. Many now believe that truth changes with culture, circumstance, or individual desire. A society, though, cannot remain free when it abandons truth. When people deny objective moral standards, power fills the vacuum. If no transcendent truth exists, whoever holds political, cultural, or economic power decides what is right. History repeatedly demonstrates that such systems do not produce liberty. — They produce coercion and tyranny.

The Declaration offered a better path.  Its authors recognized that human dignity rests upon a permanent foundation. Every person bears inherent worth because every person comes from the hand of a Creator. Human value does not depend upon age, ability, status, race, wealth, or usefulness.  It rests upon the fact that God created human beings in His image.

The American founding did not occur in a moral vacuum. It arose within a civilization deeply shaped by Christianity. The Declaration itself appeals to the Creator, the laws of Nature and Nature’s God, the Supreme Judge of the world, and Divine Providence. George Washington reminded the nation that religion and morality are indispensable supports of political prosperity. John Adams likewise observed that our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. Their point remains as true today as it was in 1776.

Scripture affirms these truths from beginning to end. The Bible declares, “Righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). The Psalmist proclaims, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). Joshua challenged every generation with these words, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Liberty depends not merely upon sound institutions but upon a people whose character is shaped by truth, virtue, and faith in God.

America’s greatness has never rested primarily upon military strength, economic prosperity, or political influence.  It rests upon a commitment, however imperfectly practiced, to self evident truths. When we honor those truths, we strengthen freedom. When we abandon them, we weaken freedom.

The challenges facing our nation today are more than political. They are moral and spiritual. We have forgotten the source of our rights and the foundation of our liberty.

The answer is not greater government control. The answer is a renewed commitment to truth. We must teach our children and grandchildren that truth exists. We must defend the principle that rights come from God. We must embrace the moral responsibilities that accompany freedom. And we must restore respect for the rule of law grounded in the laws of Nature and Nature’s God.

As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, let us recommit ourselves to the principles that launched this nation and sustained it through generations. Let us reclaim the moral clarity of 1776. Let us stand courageously for truth. Let us honor the Creator who endowed us with liberty and let us preserve the blessings of freedom for generations yet to come. May every family echo the words of Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

May God bless America - as America once again seeks to honor God.