As I was thinking about this month’s column, I thought about the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. If we traveled back, we would find ourselves in an unsettled moment in time for the colonies. Great Britain had been increasing taxes and duties on the colonies to pay off previous debts for almost a decade.
The battles of Lexington and Concord had already taken place a year before. While British Gen. William Howe’s troops were about to land on Staten Island, the Second Continental Congress was voting to adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4.
We all know how the war for independence ended. Living in Lawrence Township, we know even better the Ten Crucial Days starting with Washington’s troops crossing the Delaware River on Christmas Day, the Battle of Trenton, the delaying actions of Col. Edward Hand in Lawrence Township, the Battle of the Assunpink Creek, and the Battle of Princeton. It was here that the momentum shifted from the British to favor the Americans.
When I think about the Declaration of Independence, I find it helpful to understand that it was drafted and adopted in an uncertain time, and its future was not guaranteed. Yet, when I read the document, I find it to be a confident argument for independence. It begins with an opening statement of intent, states a set of values and how these “self-evident” truths are being violated. After a lengthy list of “repeated injuries and usurpations,” the declaration ends by stating that the colonies have done their best to work out these issues but have been given no choice but to declare their independence.
So how does a 250-year-old document influence me as I serve as mayor of Lawrence Township? I consistently return to three aspects of the Declaration of Independence: first, clearly stating a set of values that are universal and agreed upon; second, understanding the relationship between the government and the people; and third, the implementation of these values can take a long time.
The beginning of the second paragraph is so powerful: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I can relate to these words as I think about and frame the issues and challenges that face the township today. Every resident, whether they have lived here for 50 years or arrived yesterday and whether they pay tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes or are a renter, has the right to come home and enjoy their life in a safe and welcoming community.
How are these goals achieved? The next sentences speak to the idea that governments are established to make good on the promise of the goals. The government is not created nor derives its authority by bloodline or divine fate, but from “the consent of the governed.” It is the people who, through the process of electing representatives, entrust their government to deliver on the promises of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” People have the opportunity at every election to cast their votes for representatives who represent their values.
The last aspect is the idea of working toward the perfect expression of our stated values, the “more perfect Union” stated in the Constitution. Everyone can agree that the Constitution fell short of the founding principles. Why else would there be 27 ratified amendments? On a daily basis, I am reminded that change is tempered by the past as well as the people and personalities of the present. On Township Council, compromises have to be made to gain support. Sometimes I do not get everything I believe is needed in a resolution or ordinance, but I understand that improvements, however small, are better than nothing. As the saying goes, “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of progress.”
This July, I urge you to read the Declaration of Independence as well as the Preamble to the Constitution. They are reminders to us all of the beginning of our nation and values we are still working to achieve 250 years later.
Christopher Bobbitt is a councilman and mayor of Lawrence Township.
