The Office of the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania

07/03/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/03/2026 09:42

WATCH: At Independence Hall, Gov. Shapiro Delivers Independence Day Message | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA - From the same room where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were signed, Governor Josh Shapiro is delivering a message to Pennsylvanians on Independence Day about our responsibility to continue the work that began 250 years ago. In a new video filmed in the Assembly Room at Independence Hall, the Governor reminds Pennsylvanians about the 56 new Americans who gathered there to declare their independence from a king and set in motion the greatest experiment in human governance the world has ever seen.

In the video, the Governor issues a call to action, saying:

The chaos, cruelty, and corruption being injected into our democracy every day are testing the very guardrails established by our founders two-and-a-half centuries ago. But just as it was in 1776, American freedom is not the product of a single document or the result of a single man's actions. It is the result of each of us doing our part - rising up, demanding more, working to perfect our union.

[...]

We in Pennsylvania are the descendants of our founding fathers' foundation, and we know their work isn't finished. It is our responsibility to carry it forward, protect our fundamental freedoms, and stand up to the petty tyrants in our way. On this, the 250th July 4th of our independence, let us each ask ourselves what we will do to meet our uniquely American responsibility.

Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy and as President Trump politicizes America250 celebrations in an attempt to make them about himself, the Governor is calling on Pennsylvanians to ask themselves "what we will do to meet our uniquely American responsibility" to carry forward the work of our founders and protect our fundamental freedoms.

Watch Governor Shapiro's full video at Independence Hall here and read the full transcript below:

Today, we find ourselves at a moment in American history when the foundational ideals that this nation was founded on are under threat.

The chaos, cruelty, and corruption being injected into our democracy every day are testing the very guardrails established by our founders two-and-a-half centuries ago.

But just as it was in 1776, American freedom is not the product of a single document or the result of a single man's actions.

It is the result of each of us doing our part - rising up, demanding more, working to perfect our union.

Today, on the 250th anniversary of our nation's independence, we can take lessons from those who came before us, like the 56 new Americans who stood here in this room in the Pennsylvania State House, to declare their independence from a king and set in motion the greatest experiment in human governance the world has ever seen.

Almost a decade later - their independence won - George Washington sat here to preside over the Constitutional Convention as the delegates drafted, debated, and eventually signed the new US Constitution.

On his chair was an engraving of a sun on the horizon.

Throughout the convention, delegates here wondered whether that sun was in fact rising to illuminate a new day - or setting to give way to darkness.

As the last delegates signed the Constitution, Ben Franklin rose to address the room and gave his answer.

He said, "I have the happiness to know that it is a rising - and not a setting - sun."

I share Franklin's optimism.

250 years after that first declaration was signed…

Through a civil war that threatened to tear us apart…

After millions have marched and protested, challenging us to combat injustice and live up to that founding promise that all people are created equal…

And in the face of chaos, corruption, and distortion of our history around us that reminds us the work to realize our founding fathers' vision remains unfinished.

Our sun still rises.

It rises because of the people I meet every day in Pennsylvania - the people who care for their neighbors, stand up for their freedoms our founding fathers fought for, and continue our American story.

We in Pennsylvania are the descendants of our founding fathers' foundation, and we know their work isn't finished.

It is our responsibility to carry it forward, protect our fundamental freedoms, and stand up to the petty tyrants in our way.

On this - the 250th - July Fourth of our independence, let us each ask ourselves:

What will we do to meet our uniquely American responsibility?

From the birthplace of our democracy and with a rising sun ahead - on behalf of all of us in Pennsylvania, ready to protect our freedom, happy Independence Day.

The Office of the Governor of the State of Pennsylvania published this content on July 03, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on July 03, 2026 at 15:42 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]