As America’s 250th birthday approaches, it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate the Declaration of Independence.

Today, many Americans take for granted the idea that all people are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights — natural rights that no government may rightfully take away. It’s easy to forget just how revolutionary those ideas were when the Declaration was written.

Grounded in Judeo-Christian principles, the Declaration established the United States not on shared ancestry, geography, or history, but on devotion to a common creed.

Although America has not always lived up to its highest ideals, our Declaration gives voice to our finest aspirations. With it, the Founders drafted the promissory note that generations of Americans have drawn on in the ongoing effort to build an ever more perfect union.