Because of men who were willing to risk their lives, livelihoods, and honor 250 years ago, Americans are celebrating two and a half centuries of independence.

Specifically, we're celebrating a document that, consistent with 18th-century American political philosophy, declared independence from Great Britain.

According to that philosophy, rights are given by the Creator to humans; humans form a government to protect their rights; humans may permanently break with a government that violates those rights.

The famous document’s famous second paragraph put it memorably:

"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 –That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers From the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...."

With an editorial assist from Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson wrote those immortal words.

Jefferson went on in the same document to chronicle examples of American rights violations by the British Crown that he believed were worthy of separation.

Jefferson and Franklin were members of the congressional Committee of Five, which was tasked by the Congress in June 1776 with writing a document declaring American independence from the British. John Adams was another committee member.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Congress on July 4, 1776.

Of course, the Revolutionary War had to be fought against Great Britain and won for the United States to actually be independent.

The Treaty of Paris, ending the war and recognizing the independence of the 13 colonies-turned-states, was signed on September 3, 1783.

A case can be made that September 3—the day that Great Britain formally granted American independence—should be considered Independence Day.

The Treaty of Paris was ratified by the American Congress and went into effect, formally establishing the independent confederation known as the United States, on January 14, 1784.

Which is why January 14 could also be called Independence Day.

But the 4th of July marks the birth of American independence.

Flawed though the nation was at that birth, a framework was created that would eventually lead to freedom for the enslaved and legal protections for all Americans as we struggled to create "a more perfect Union."

Flawed though the nation remained in December 1862, President Lincoln still called the United States of America "the last best hope of earth" during the dark days of the Civil War.

This year we celebrate a special anniversary of a special document that announced to the world the birth of a special experiment in free self-government that has endured and remains for many as the last best hope of earth.

Thomas Jefferson was the Declaration of Independence’s primary author. John Adams was a fellow member of Congress and the Committee of Five responsible for creating the document.

Both signed the Declaration of Independence. Both later served as American Ambassadors in Europe. Both became Vice President, then President.

Amazingly, both died on the same day.

Jefferson and Adams died on July 4, 1826—50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Their lives ended half a century to the day after they attended the birth of the United States.

Now, 200 years later, Americans in Oklahoma and around the nation look back at the courage of those men and the words of that document with profound admiration and appreciation.

The men who endorsed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were committing treason against the British Crown, a crime punishable by hanging.

Today, we enjoy "the blessings of liberty" because those Americans 250 years ago were willing to sacrifice everything to declare independence in Thomas Jefferson's most consequential and enduring literary work that ends with these words:

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

That independence is worth celebrating.

Landry Brewer is Bernhardt Assistant Professor for Southwestern Oklahoma State University and teaches History and Political Science classes at SWOSU’s Sayre location. Brewer is also the author of “Cold War Oklahoma,” “Cold War Kansas,” and “Cold War Texas.”