MIKE PENCE: The next generation needs faith in God and confidence in the American ideal

Two hundred and fifty years ago, fifty-six men gathered in Philadelphia and pledged to one another "their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor."

They were merchants and farmers, lawyers and physicians. They could not know whether the cause of independence would triumph or fail. Some would lose everything. But they knew with unshakable certainty that liberty was worth any sacrifice.

This Independence Day, as America celebrates its 250th birthday, we rightly honor their undaunted courage. But as we remember the past, we must also commit ourselves to renewing the ideals that gave birth to the Republic and have sustained it ever since.

SECRETS OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR BATTLEFIELDS EMERGE 250 YEARS AFTER AMERICA'S FOUNDING

The American Revolution was unlike any the world had ever seen. Kings had long claimed that their authority flowed from heaven to throne. Our Founders proclaimed something altogether different: that all men are "created equal" and "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."

Those words turned the world upside down.

Our rights do not come from any sovereign; presidents, legislatures, judges, bureaucrats, or the shifting winds of public opinion. They come from God.

Government exists not to invent our liberties but to secure their blessings for every generation.

That enduring truth is the beating heart of the American experiment, and it explains why our Constitution has endured longer than almost any other in history.

At times, when America has strayed from its highest ideals, we have found our way back not by abandoning our founding principles, but by returning to them with renewed conviction.

Today, Americans disagree about many things.

We debate policy, politics, and the direction of our country. Such debates are healthy in a free republic. But before we are Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals, we are first and foremost Americans — the grateful heirs of a remarkable birthright purchased by the courage and sacrifice of those who came before us.

Each of us received this country as an inheritance.

We inherited free institutions, constitutional government, and opportunities unmatched in human history because of the generations of Americans who came before us. They crossed oceans, settled frontiers, built businesses, raised families, defended freedom on distant battlefields, and left this Republic stronger than they found it.

Now that sacred trust belongs to you and me.

The Bible says to whom much is given, much will be required. Each one of us possess a sacred obligation to pass on an America freer, stronger and more prosperous to our children and grandchildren, who will themselves cherish the freedom we bequest to them.

Many fear that we are on the verge of failing this historic test. Gallup found that just 33% of Americans were "extremely proud" to be an American, down from 70% in the early 2000’s.

So, as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday, let us resolve to teach our children why liberty is precious, why faith and freedom have long walked hand in hand, why character still matters, and why self-government demands citizens willing to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution no matter the cost.

The Founders’ generation did not believe America was perfect, but they gave us a framework to pursue a more perfect union.

They believed America was worth preserving, defending, and improving. Their confidence rested not in the government they created, but in Providence and in the character of a free people determined to govern themselves.

I still share that confidence. Some politicians and the media don’t want you to know a simple truth. Once you get 15 minutes outside of Washington, D.C. - the American people actually get along pretty well. I have long believed that there will always be more that unites us than could ever divide us.

Throughout my lifetime, I have watched Americans confront wars abroad, terrorism at home, economic crises, political violence, natural disasters, and bitter political divisions. Each time, the American people have proven that they are the most resilient, generous, faithful and patriot people the world has ever known.

With faith in the American people and faith in God, I know America’s future is bright.

The same Providence that guided our nation’s birth has not abandoned us. The same eternal truths that inspired the patriots of 1776 still possess the power to renew America today.

This Fourth of July, lets celebrate all we have been given and remember those who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for a freedom they would never fully enjoy.

As President Lincoln reminded us in his second Annual Message to Congress America is, "the last best hope of Earth."

So let us this day resolve that when future generations gather to celebrate America’s next milestone, they will inherit one nation under God - strong, prosperous, and free.

Happy Birthday, America.