A gift from my wife, Sherry
There are listed in the Declaration of
Independence twenty-seven grievances against the King of England which served
as justification for the colonists to separate from England. These
twenty-seven, profoundly serious, conditions were offered to “a candid world”
so that the world may know that the colonists were not merely “political
hotheads” in revolt against proper authority. These collective grievances
proved that the ruling authority had lost its moral integrity and thus the
people were right in freeing themselves of mistreatment.
The United States
Constitution is to be measured by how well it serves to remedy the grievances
listed in the Declaration.
One such grievance stated
in the Declaration which the Constitution gives remedy follows:
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing
Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
A diligent reading of history will reveal that during
colonial times the King of England would allow the military to move soldiers
into personal homes, with or without the consent of the homeowner. That is not
just an inconvenience imposed by government, it was a serious intrusion
upon a person’s property and privacy.
Thus, in composition of the Constitution, we have Amendment
3 which protects against such intrusion…
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in
any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a
manner to be prescribed by law.
We often celebrate the first and second amendments
which provide us with rights of free speech and possession of arms. But also,
we see here in the 3rd amendment a right that we so often take for
granted.
The other amendments also serve to provide a
relationship between government and the people such that liberty may be
preserved while avoiding anarchy or oppression.
As we celebrate the Fourth of July this weekend, let
us be aware of the direct connection between the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution of the United States.
