As you gather this Fourth of July with friends, family and neighbors to celebrate our country’s Independence Day, I invite you to join me in reading the Declaration of Independence. It has become a tradition for my family and is a good reminder of the great sacrifice so many men and women have made to ensure the blessings of freedom for our country.
We owe a debt of gratitude to our forefathers who pledged their Lives, their Fortunes, and their Sacred Honor for our new nation. The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence laid it all on the line for a chance of freedom. It was a solemn moment that they faced with courage and conviction. Of the signers, five were captured and imprisoned by the British; twelve had their homes ransacked and burned; one lost his son serving in the army; one signer, Button Gwinnett, died of wounds suffered in the war; Carter Braxton, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk or captured by the British; soldiers looted and ransacked their homes of many of the founders; and Frances Lewis’ home was destroyed. They paid a huge price for our freedom. That sacrifice continues today.
Brave men and women are keeping our country safe today at home and abroad. They lay their lives on the line every day and they, and their families, sacrifice so much, in order that our country might prosper. We can’t thank them enough and will be forever grateful for their service.
When our forefathers founded this nation, they did so with a distinct vision: they wanted a country based on the principles of faith, family, freedom and free enterprise. Those principles are what made our country great, and these are the principles we continue to fight for in this campaign. Our forefathers started this vital mission of freedom. Let us be faithful to carry on what they started for our future and our posterity