MWEG Official Statement on America's 250th

In gratitude, MWEG joins fellow Americans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

With powerful ideas and ideals, our founders established a new government based on the bold claims that “all men are created equal” and “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” They declared that the purpose of government is to “secure these rights” and that the power of government is derived from “the consent of the governed.”

These foundational beliefs were hopeful and idealistic. Through fierce discourse and determination, our founders created the world’s longest surviving written constitution that pioneered modern, large-scale democracy. Ideas such as the rule of law, the separation of powers, and checks and balances have been tried and tested in myriad ways over the centuries; they have often fallen short of the ideal, but they have been foundational to our national successes — and they have endured. The bold claim that all men are created equal asserts a fundamental belief in human dignity that continues to motivate our actions today.

Forging a self-governing nation based on liberty and equal opportunity required personal risk, compromise, collaboration, and enduring hope.

Hope drove our founding mothers and fathers to stand up against a tyrannical monarchy and establish a new country. We honor their legacy best when we have both a hope for a better future and a willingness to sacrifice to make our hopeful vision a reality. The people of the United States are self-governing, and we shape the future of our country.

Hope means recognizing that though times might be hard, we need not despair. Our individual efforts to be civically engaged, to serve others, and to build community matter! Our willingness to stand up against injustices and advocate peacefully is hope in action. It is grounded in a firm and sustaining commitment to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.

For the last 250 years, the people of the United States have been weaving hope through our collective tapestry, cutting straggling threads, pulling out mistakes, straightening uneven lines. We unweave and weave again. And we continue to weave, with hope that with every effort, we add to the emerging masterpiece.