Barrasso Commemorates 250 Years of Freedom, Liberty, and American Greatness

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) today spoke at a press conference about America's 250th Anniversary. Senator Barrasso shared how the Declaration of Independence laid the foundation for freedom, liberty, and greatness for generations of Americans.

Sen. Barrasso said:

"Well, we are getting ready to celebrate the 250^th birthday of the nation. And of course, it is the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"When you take a look at this, it is iconic. It is a piece of art. It is a masterpiece. And I believe that we don't read it and go to it frequently enough.

"Basically, it's a letter of complaint to the King of England. And it says, you've done this, and you've done this, and you've done that, and we are now done with you.

"People were very religious. They talked four times in this about the Creator. We are endowed by our Creator with Certain Unalienable Rights including Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It says the power comes from God, not from the King. And then we as individuals loan that power to the government.

"It talks about Freedom. It talks about Liberty. And we use those words interchangeably. But in fact, they're different. Freedom is the freedom to say and do and think what we want. Liberty means those are guaranteed, protected rights that we all have.

"Fifty-six individuals signed this. The oldest was Ben Franklin, and he was 70. Three people signed it who were 26 years old. Of course, right down there is John Hancock. The famous John Hancock signed it in the center, saying the King could see who it was, he'd be the one that he'd come after first.

"There's a man named Stephen Hopkins. And you see his signature and he was moving his hand and it was crooked. And he wrote it in a way, he said, you know, because he had a tremor - a medical tremor. And he said, 'My hand trembles. My heart does not.'

"They end this by saying, 'We pledge our life, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.' And they pledge it to each other and to all of us. And as a result of 250 years, we have had Freedom, Liberty, and American Greatness. And because of this great document, our best days are still ahead."

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