It was on this date 233 years ago that the United States was born. On July 2, 1776, the congress, in closed session, approved the resolution of independence.

John Adams thought today would be the day that Americans would celebrate independence based on that vote. On July 3, 1776, in a letter to his wife Abigail, Adams wrote, “The second day of July, 1776, will be the most  memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

Of course, public opinion is sometimes hard to predict. From the very beginning, Americans chose to celebrate independence on July 4, the date shown on the Declaration of Independence.

However, regardless of the date, we need to remember the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence. We were declaring ourselves independent of overbearing government. It marked the beginning of the greatest experiment in self-government in history. The ideas expressed, while not new, were still profound. It set in motion the idea that humans are capable of, and by right should, govern themselves and that the citizens, not subjects, should be free to pursue their dreams, wants and desires so long as they do not interfere in the rights of others to do the same.

Somehow, along the way, we have forgotten that. Our Framers would be aghast of how overbearing today’s government has become. And it becomes larger and more intrusive by the day.

Hopefully, Americans will take this Independence Day to reflect on what it really means and how relevant, especially today, the words of the Declaration of Independence are and make a renewed effort of returning our government to our founding ideals.