{"id":2455648,"date":"2025-07-04T11:36:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T15:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-challenging-times-presidents-appealed-to-the-declaration-of-independence-to-inspire-americans-and-the-world\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T11:38:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T15:38:00","slug":"five-challenging-times-presidents-appealed-to-the-declaration-of-independence-to-inspire-americans-and-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/five-challenging-times-presidents-appealed-to-the-declaration-of-independence-to-inspire-americans-and-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Challenging Times Presidents Appealed to the Declaration of Independence to Inspire Americans and the World"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffive-challenging-times-presidents-appealed-to-the-declaration-of-independence-to-inspire-americans-and-the-world%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2455648&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The excerpt discusses the enduring meaning of the Declaration of Independence as a guiding principle in American history. It emphasizes how various U.S. presidents have invoked its ideals to inspire the nation during pivotal moments. The author, referencing his book &#8220;We Hold These Truths,&#8221; outlines the roles of five presidents-Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump-in advancing the principles of liberty and equality laid out by the Founding Fathers. <\/p>\n<p>Lincoln&#8217;s reverence for the Declaration is highlighted thru his famous speeches during the Civil War, where he affirmed the nation&#8217;s commitment to equality. Roosevelt stressed the relevance of the Declaration during World War II, framing it as a rebuttal to tyranny.Kennedy connected the principles of the Declaration to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >contemporary global struggles<\/a> for freedom. Reagan recognized the declaration&#8217;s educational value and its importance as a cornerstone of American democracy. Trump celebrated the Declaration&#8217;s principles during a speech amid contemporary challenges. the piece asserts that the values enshrined in the Declaration remain a vital part of the American identity and continue to inspire leaders and citizens alike.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_5)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_6)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_7)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Declaration of Independence has been America&rsquo;s North Star, acting as a guiding light throughout our nation&rsquo;s history.<\/p>\n<p>As I argued in my book, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/THESE-TRUTHS-Randall-Norman-DeSoto\/dp\/1604772689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&ldquo;We Hold These Truths<\/a>,&rdquo; leaders have appealed to its ideals to animate and fortify Americans through some of our most trying and defining moments.<\/p>\n<p>Though the focus of my book is the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II, in this article, I wanted to expand it out a bit and focus on the words of five U.S. presidents.<\/p>\n<p>Before that, first, I must acknowledge George Washington. There were no presidents during the Revolutionary War, but he, as commander in chief of the Continental Army, had the Declaration <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountvernon.org\/library\/digitalhistory\/digital-encyclopedia\/article\/declaration-of-independence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">read to his troops<\/a> on July 9, 1776, so they would know exactly what they were fighting for as they prepared to face down the might of the British army in New York.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">OTD in 1776, Washington orders his army to gather, so the Declaration of Independence can be read aloud to them <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/m2yH82pTew\">pic.twitter.com\/m2yH82pTew<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tom Berry (@Hooyah61) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Hooyah61\/status\/751862052004716545?\">July 9, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Americans would go on to win the Revolutionary War in 1783. Washington later presided over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and in 1789, he became the nation&rsquo;s first president by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountvernon.org\/library\/digitalhistory\/digital-encyclopedia\/article\/presidential-election-of-1789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unanimous<\/a> Electoral College vote. So he certainly guided Americans through one of their most defining times and helped establish a nation that began to put the ideals of the Declaration into practice.<\/p>\n<p>Now, here are five presidents who drew from the Founders&rsquo; wellspring to advance the cause of liberty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abraham Lincoln<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Following his election as the 16th president of the United States, President Abraham Lincoln traveled by train from his native Illinois to Washington, D.C., making a stop in Philadelphia, among other places.<\/p>\n<p>He arrived at Independence Hall for a flag-raising ceremony taking place on Washington&rsquo;s birthday, February 22, 1861.<\/p>\n<p>Lincoln had always been fascinated with the Founders, particularly Washington and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/john-adams-thomas-jefferson-reconcile-trump-musk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas Jefferson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He had been 17 years old when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/providence-jefferson-adams-died-50th-anniversary-declaration-independence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">died on the same day<\/a> in 1826 &mdash; July 4, which was the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. So this was the not-so-distant past to him.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking at the ceremony at Independence Hall, Lincoln <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/liho\/learn\/historyculture\/independence-hall.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;I have never had a feeling, politically, that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is the sentiment embodied in that Declaration of Independence,&rdquo; he added, referring to the ongoing existence of slavery in the Southern States.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks after Lincoln took office, the Civil War began with Confederates firing on the federal installation at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861.<\/p>\n<p>Over two years later, Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to dedicate the battlefield&rsquo;s cemetery following a decisive Union victory. In one of the most famous speeches of his presidency, he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abrahamlincolnonline.org\/lincoln\/speeches\/gettysburg.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>A score is 20 years, and four score and seven is 87 years, so Lincoln was referring back to the year 1776, when the Declaration was adopted, not 1787, when the Constitutional Convention occurred.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Now we are engaged in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/im-an-optimist-justice-breyer-pulls-out-pocket-constitution-says-he-believes-american-experiment-will-prevail\/\" title=\"\u2018I\u2019m An Optimist\u2019: Justice Breyer Pulls Out Pocket Constitution, Says He Believes ... \u2018Experi...t\u2019 Will Prevail\">great civil war<\/a>, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure,&rdquo; Lincoln continued.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">OTD in 1863 &ndash; Abraham Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address &hellip; Take a moment to read it over. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mjI8oRb6YB\">pic.twitter.com\/mjI8oRb6YB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Janine Stange (@THEANTHEMGIRL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/THEANTHEMGIRL\/status\/800111420935438336?\">November 19, 2016<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He concluded, &ldquo;[T]hat from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion &mdash; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain &mdash; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom &mdash; and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Franklin Roosevelt&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fdrs-powerful-d-day-prayer-80-years-ago-recalls-christian-faith-steeled-us-wwii\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Franklin Roosevelt<\/a>, the nation&rsquo;s 32nd president, a week after America&rsquo;s entry into World War II in December 1941, delivered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/radio-address-the-150th-anniversary-the-ratification-the-bill-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">radio address<\/a> as part of a program entitled &ldquo;We Hold These Truths.&rdquo; Over<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanheritage.com\/heart-constitution-bill-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> 60 million<\/a> tuned in &mdash; almost half the country&rsquo;s population at the time &mdash; making it the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rush-limbaughs-widow-sells-their-palm-beach-home-for-155-million-to-billionaire-estee-lauder-heir\/\" title=\"Rush Limbaugh\u2019s widow sells their Palm Beach home for 5 million to billionaire Estee Lauder heir\">largest radio audience<\/a> to that point in U.S. history.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the program was to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights and the God-given rights expressed in the Declaration of Independence that underpin the document.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[I]n the year 1933, there came to power in Germany a political clique which did not accept the declarations of the American Bill of human rights as valid,&rdquo; Roosevelt said.<\/p>\n<p>Turning to the Declaration, he continued, &ldquo;The truths which were self-evident to Thomas Jefferson &mdash; which have been self-evident to the six generations of Americans who followed him &mdash; were to these men hateful. The rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness which seem to the Founders of the Republic, and which seem to us, inalienable, were to [Adolf] Hitler and his fellows, empty words which they proposed to cancel forever. &hellip;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">On the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 15 to be known as &ldquo;Bill of Rights Day.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&#128248; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zsr9MuZg2p\">https:\/\/t.co\/zsr9MuZg2p<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LKOijSayGl\">pic.twitter.com\/LKOijSayGl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; U.S. National Archives (@USNatArchives) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USNatArchives\/status\/1338952067919060992?\">December 15, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Roosevelt concluded, saying, &ldquo;This attempted revival of barbarism; this proposed return to tyranny &hellip; is an attempt which could succeed only if those who have inherited the gift of liberty had lost the manhood to preserve it.&rdquo;&nbsp; The President promised that the United States, having taken up the sword in the cause of liberty, would not lay it down again until it was secure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John F. Kennedy&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jfk-delivered-famous-inaugural-60-years-ago-ask-not-country-can\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John F. Kennedy<\/a>, the 35th president, began his legendary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/milestone-documents\/president-john-f-kennedys-inaugural-address\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">inaugural address<\/a> in January 1961, saying, &ldquo;We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom &mdash; symbolizing an end as well as a beginning &mdash; signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe &mdash; the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God,&rdquo; he asserted, in the depths of the Cold War against Soviet Russia and communist China.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NwM6s55no6U?si=R8XGUlAhsr4V7RCO&amp;start=81\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Speaking at Independence Hall on July 4, 1962, Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.presidency.ucsb.edu\/documents\/address-independence-hall-philadelphia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>, &ldquo;To read it today is to hear a trumpet call. For that Declaration unleashed not merely a revolution against the British, but a revolution in human affairs.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Its authors were highly conscious of its worldwide implications. And George Washington declared that liberty and self-government everywhere were, in his words, &lsquo;finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people,&#8217;&rdquo; JFK said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ronald Reagan&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trumps-wh-meeting-ronald-reagan-40-years-ago-proved-prophetic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ronald Reagan,<\/a> the 40th president, delivered a nationally televised <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reaganlibrary.gov\/archives\/speech\/remarks-and-question-and-answer-session-students-and-faculty-moscow-state\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">speech<\/a> from Moscow State University in the former Soviet Union in May 1988, as the Cold War was beginning to thaw.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Go into any schoolroom, and there you will see children being taught the Declaration of Independence, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights &mdash; among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness &mdash; that no government can justly deny; the guarantees in their Constitution for freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of religion,&rdquo; he told the university students.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M3q_T5yZV-U?si=_Dir1a_CrTme1hN7&amp;start=733\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>That same year, Reagan issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reaganlibrary.gov\/archives\/speech\/proclamation-5761-national-sanctity-human-life-day-1988\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">proclamation<\/a> in support of life, saying, &ldquo;America has given a great gift to the world, a gift that drew upon the accumulated wisdom derived from centuries of experiments in self-government. &hellip;&rdquo; It is a &ldquo;declaration, as a cardinal principle of all just law, of the God-given, unalienable rights possessed by every human being.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I, Ronald Reagan &hellip; do hereby proclaim and declare the unalienable personhood of every American, from the moment of conception until natural death,&rdquo; he concluded.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Donald Trump&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/best-part-trumps-restoration-garden-american-heroes-biden-thought-killed-good\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, the nation&rsquo;s 45th and 47th president, on July 4, 2020, delivered one of his greatest speeches as chief executive. It was in the early months of the Coronavirus pandemic, in the shadow of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, with the sculpted faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt looking on behind him.<\/p>\n<p>Just weeks before, anti-police, anti-government rioters in other parts of the country had torn down or otherwise defaced the statues of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/dem-senator-open-removing-statues-george-washington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/thomas-jefferson-statue-toppled-monument-rampage-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jefferson<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/lincoln-freed-slaves-150-years-ago-now-protesters-defacing-statue-blm-graffiti\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lincoln<\/a> with shouts of racism.<\/p>\n<p>Trump stood up for the nearly 250-year-old American experiment in liberty, saying, &ldquo;Our Founders launched not only a revolution in government, but a revolution in the pursuit of justice, equality, liberty, and prosperity. No nation has done more to advance the human condition than the United States of America. And no people have done more to promote human progress than the citizens of our great nation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was all made possible by the courage of 56 patriots who gathered in Philadelphia 244 years ago and signed the Declaration of Independence. They enshrined a divine truth that changed the world forever when they said: &lsquo;&hellip; all men are created equal,&#8217;&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0LkC6hzyqVc?si=nv5-h7vwBqc0A8E4&amp;start=225\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;These immortal words set in motion the unstoppable march of freedom. Our Founders boldly declared that we are all endowed with the same divine rights given us by our Creator in Heaven. And that which God has given us, we will allow no one, ever, to take away &mdash; ever,&rdquo; the president pledged.<\/p>\n<p>The truths contained in the Declaration of Independence have been America&rsquo;s guiding light since the founding. Here&rsquo;s to celebrating them and embracing them for as long as the nation endures.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Declaration of Independence has served as America&#8217;s guiding principle throughout its history. In my book, &#8220;We Hold These Truths,&#8221; I discuss how leaders have drawn on its ideals to inspire and strengthen Americans during pivotal times. While my book primarily addresses the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II, this article will broaden the scope to include insights from five U.S. presidents. First, it&#8217;s important to recognize George Washington; although there were no presidents during the Revolutionary War, he had the Declaration read to his troops on July 9, 1776, so they understood what they were fighting for against the British army in New York.<\/p>\n<p>In 1783, Americans emerged victorious in the Revolutionary War. Washington later led the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and became the first president of the United States in 1789 through a unanimous Electoral College vote. He played a crucial role in guiding Americans through formative times and helped establish a nation that began implementing the ideals of the Declaration.<\/p>\n<p>Next are five presidents who drew inspiration from these foundational principles to promote liberty:<\/p>\n<p>**Abraham Lincoln**: After being elected as America&#8217;s 16th president, Lincoln traveled by train from Illinois to Washington D.C., stopping at Philadelphia for a flag-raising ceremony on February 22, 1861-Washington&#8217;s birthday. He expressed his deep admiration for Founding Fathers like Washington and Jefferson and stated that all his political feelings stemmed from sentiments found in the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\n<p>Weeks after taking office, Lincoln faced civil war when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Over two years later at Gettysburg-a site of significant Union victory-he delivered one of his most famous speeches referencing both liberty and equality established by their forefathers.<\/p>\n<p>**Franklin Roosevelt**: As America entered World War II in December 1941, Roosevelt addressed over sixty million listeners via radio about human rights outlined in both documents-the Bill of Rights and Declaration-highlighting their importance against tyranny represented by figures like Hitler.<\/p>\n<p>He declared December 15 as &#8220;Bill of Rights Day&#8221; while emphasizing that preserving liberty was essential amidst threats posed by oppressive regimes.<\/p>\n<p>**John F. Kennedy**: During his inaugural address in January1961 Kennedy celebrated freedom while acknowledging humanity&#8217;s capacity for destruction amid Cold War tensions with Soviet Russia and China; he reaffirmed that rights come not from government but God.<\/p>\n<p>At Independence Hall on July Fourth two years later he remarked how reading it today resonates globally beyond just American independence but signifies broader human progress initiated by those founding principles.<\/p>\n<p>**Ronald Reagan**: In May1988 Reagan spoke at Moscow State University about teaching children their unalienable rights derived from divine providence while promoting self-governance based upon centuries-old wisdom accumulated through experience-a gift America shared with others worldwide regarding justice &amp; equality under law which should be upheld universally without exception or denial regardless one&#8217;s background or beliefs<\/p>\n<p>He proclaimed every individual&#8217;s personhood must be recognized starting at conception until natural death reflecting core values rooted deeply within American society since inception<\/p>\n<p>Finally,<\/p>\n<p> **Donald Trump:** On July Fourth2020 Trump delivered an impactful speech near Mount Rushmore amidst national unrest defending America&#8217;s legacy founded upon revolutionary ideas advocating justice &amp; equality asserting these truths remain timeless guiding lights illuminating paths forward ensuring freedoms granted shall never be taken away nor diminished <\/p>\n<p>In conclusion-the principles enshrined within The Declaration continue shaping our nation&#8217;s identity serving as enduring reminders worth celebrating throughout history!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2455649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Declaration-of-Independence.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[58438,34654,58439,58440,47814],"class_list":["post-2455648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-american-inspiration","tag-declaration-of-independence","tag-historical-appeals","tag-leadership-moments","tag-presidential-history"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Declaration-of-Independence.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455648"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2455652,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455648\/revisions\/2455652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2455649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}