Let’s not forget the ideals that started us on this American journey in 1776, with the Declaration of Independence written by the great communicator Thomas Jefferson:

1. Equality: “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.”
2. The Social Contract: “That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”