Nothing says “Happy Birthday, America” quite like a flaming grill, a sky full of fireworks, and someone misquoting the Declaration of Independence. But behind the celebration lies a story of bold ideas, revolutionary action, and just a hint of Masonic influence.
By the 1770s, the thirteen American colonies had grown restless under British rule. With Parliament imposing taxes and laws without colonial input, the phrase “No taxation without representation” became more than a rallying cry. Colonists weren’t just fed up with the king, they were ready to chart their own course.
In June of 1776, after years of escalating tension, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed a resolution for independence. A committee, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, was tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson took the lead, penning one of history’s most famous documents, built on the radical idea that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration, and the United States of America was born. Fireworks didn’t explode that day, but church bells rang, bonfires blazed, and celebrations began. The Revolutionary War would rage on for years, but the die was cast.
For members of the Craft, there’s a special resonance in this story, as many of the Declaration’s signers, including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and William Whipple, were Freemasons. The ideals woven into the document—liberty, equality, fraternity—closely mirror those taught within the Lodge. It’s no coincidence that Enlightenment values and Masonic principles found a common home in the birth of a nation.
So this Fourth of July, as you admire the rockets’ red glare and perhaps raise a toast to freedom, take a moment to reflect on the deeper meaning. Independence was more than a declaration, it was a commitment to truth, reason, and brotherhood. Sound familiar?
Happy Independence Day from The Valley of Boston. May your grill stay hot, your flags fly high, and your light continue to shine brightly, for in every celebration of liberty, the values of our Craft live on.
