Long before there were politicians (of any like), there were merchants, lawyers, farmers, and other entrepreneurs who got together in Philadelphia 241 years ago to sign the Declaration of Independence and start the revolution.  These men, most of who could be viewed as small business owners, risked it all:

“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

Here’s a list from the National Archives of the signers and their occupations to remind us that our businesses, our jobs, and our lives can be on the line when freedom is at stake.

“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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Happy 4^th to all!

Note: I wrote about this two years ago, and I wanted once again to recognize these great men on this great day.