As we make our plans to celebrate Independence Day this year, it means so much more to me than any other year in my life. That’s a bold statement, I realize, but I believe it to be true!

What Americans began with the Declaration of Independence had to be backed up by the extreme action of revolution against the world’s mightiest power of the day.

Today, we find America to be the mightiest power. As you know, it didn’t just happen. It began with critical decisions about who we wanted to be and who we were to become. Our founders decided we were going to be a republic—a democratic institution with an ingenious Constitution!

We’ve overcome countless obstacles to achieve this place of responsibility and prestige, including a horrifying Civil War!

We’ve fought numerous other wars to prevent people with evil intentions from dominating others as well as ourselves.

Today, we prepare to celebrate another year of independence. But independence from what?  We are no longer under the threat of a British king and haven’t been for almost three centuries!

It seems to me, we are in a place, as a nation, that requires us to redeclare the intentions of our citizens to be an independent republic.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Happy Independence Day!