This is the first of what I intend to be an annual Independence Day post. I plan to revisit these core principles each year - think of it as my version of taking a moment before the barbecue to appreciate what we're celebrating. 

In preparation for this year's Independence Day, you'll probably be firing up the grill, cracking open a cold one, and wondering whether this year's fireworks will live up to the hype. Your kids will complain about the heat, someone will forget the potato salad, and Uncle Joe will tell the same Revolutionary War story he's been telling since 1987.

This is exactly as it should be. Independence Day works best when it's about families gathering, communities celebrating, and people enjoying the simple freedom to spend a summer evening however they choose.

But if you're the type who likes a moment of reflection before diving into the festivities - if you're curious about why this particular holiday has inspired independence movements from Vietnam to Czechoslovakia - here's my take on what makes this day worth celebrating beyond the beer and fireworks.

Today marks another anniversary of what might be history's most audacious legal document - and its most successful. The Declaration of Independence wasn't just a breakup letter with King George; it was a blueprint for human self-determination that has inspired independence movements across the globe for nearly 250 years.

In 1945, Ho Chi Minh opened Vietnam's declaration of independence by quoting directly from Jefferson: "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." This wasn't an isolated incident. From Latin America in the 1820s to Eastern Europe in 1989, movements for self-determination have drawn on the Declaration's central insight: governments exist to serve individual human dignity, not the other way around.

This connects directly to what I call the belly-button principle. Every person has a belly button, and every human knows what it means to have one. But each belly-button is unique like a snowflake (just not as fragile). We all have lived experience that is irreplaceably our own. The Declaration's genius was recognizing this universal truth: each person's individual dignity and dreams matter, and legitimate government exists to protect that reality.

The Framework That Works

Alexis de Tocqueville saw something remarkable when he studied American democracy in the 1830s. He observed how individual liberty and community engagement reinforced each other rather than competing. Americans formed voluntary associations for everything - not because government forced them to, but because free individuals chose to solve problems together.

This resolves the false tension between individualism and community responsibility the same way healthy marriages do: it takes healthy individuals to make healthy relationships. There's no other way to do it. When individuals or relationships face challenges, that healthy community can support and nurture healing. But trying to build community from dysfunction doesn't work.

James Buchanan's public choice theory explains why this framework succeeds: we need agreed-upon rules for living together because we can't have intimate relationships with everyone in a nation. The law becomes our social technology for scaling trust beyond tribal size.

When It Works, When It Fails

History shows a clear pattern: movements succeed when they focus on individual dignity and self-determination, but fail when they prioritize abstract ideological purity over human flourishing.

Successes:  Latin American independence movements, Indian independence under Gandhi, the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, Nelson Mandela's vision for South Africa. Each drew inspiration from the Declaration while adapting its principles to their unique circumstances.

Failures:  The French Revolution's descent into the Terror, various communist movements that sacrificed individual dignity for collective abstractions. These movements started with liberation but ended in oppression because they forgot that real humans - with their own belly-button experiences - matter more than theoretical ideals.

Living the Principle

This framework shapes how I practice law. Estate planning isn't about standardized documents; it's about this unique person's unique family and dreams. Small business formation isn't about cookie-cutter entities; it's about this entrepreneur's specific vision and circumstances. Even bankruptcy protection serves this principle - helping individuals rebuild their capacity to pursue happiness when financial systems have failed them.

Each client gets solutions tailored to their individual reality because that's what the belly-button principle demands. One login, one belly-button. One person, one irreplaceable set of dreams and experiences worthy of legal protection.

The Continuing Experiment

The founders wrote a rough draft, not a final paper. Every generation gets to edit, but the core insight remains: governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and that consent matters because each person's individual dignity matters.

This holiday reminds me why the Declaration's framework has proven so exportable. It doesn't impose a specific form of government or cultural arrangement. Instead, it establishes the foundational principle that individual human flourishing is the measure of legitimate authority.

The American experiment remains unfinished, and that's exactly as it should be. We're not celebrating perfection; we're celebrating the radical idea that people can govern themselves and that this system can improve over time.

Here's to another year of the world's longest-running startup - and to the exportable idea that every person's belly-button experience matters enough to build governments around.

Now go enjoy your barbecue. The founders would approve - they were fighting for your right to spend Independence Day exactly how you want to.

Happy Fourth of July. 

These principles guide my thinking about this holiday each year. I expect them to evolve as my understanding deepens, but the core commitment to individual dignity within community structures feels permanent. We'll see what next year brings. 

Ready to Build Legal Foundations for Your Dreams? 

The Declaration established that governments exist to serve individual human flourishing. That same principle guides my law practice - creating legal frameworks that protect what matters most to you and your family. 

Whether you're planning your family's future, building a business, or facing financial challenges, I help people establish rock-solid legal foundations for the lives they're building. 

This post reflects my thinking, not legal advice for your specific situation. But I'd love to offer actual legal advice tailored to your unique circumstances. 

[Schedule a consultation] and let's discuss how the law can serve your individual dreams and goals.