Today, we think of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as stellar examples of leadership and patriotism, and they were. But more than anything, they were brave. Signing the document could have easily meant their deaths. How many of us today would publicly make a declaration that would, potentially, serve as a death sentence? Probably few, if any. But on July 4, 1776, when the document was officially adopted &8212; it would be signed later &8212; would throw things into motion that would change both the history of the United States and ultimately the world. Today we often struggle to understand the full weight of what these men did with both their words and ultimately their actions. As we go about our Fourth of July holiday today, many of us off from work responsibilities, we should pause to remember that none of the many freedoms we enjoy so much would have been possible without a brave declaration. Perhaps the words of the Declaration itself best describe the underling American desire to be free and equal. &8220;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.&8221;