The blessing of independence

“We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” Thomas Jefferson

Today, January 14, is the 241st anniversary of the ratification of the “Treaty of Paris” by the Confederation Congress of the United States. On this day Congress officially declared the war with Great Britain was over. This document declared that the United States were a “free, sovereign, and independent nation.”

Eight years had passed since the beginning of hostilities in 1775. It was a long, hard time for the often disorganized 13 former colonies of Great Britain. Without the aid of France, Spain and the Netherlands it is doubtful that the colonies would have been successful.

On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War, was signed by representatives of both Great Britain and the United States.

Congress met at the State House in Annapolis, Maryland, on December 13, 1783, to ratify the Treaty of Paris. That year was a harsh winter, and it took over a month for delegates from enough states to assemble to legally ratify the peace agreement. On January 14, 1783, enough delegates from 10 of the 13 states had arrived in Annapolis and were able to vote to approve the Treaty of Paris. The date of January 14, 1784, became known as Ratification Day.

January 14 has since then been celebrated as the end of the American War of Independence.

We should take time on this day to recognize and thank those who fought so long and hard to obtain the blessing of Independence.

We did not have available then the instant communication we take for granted today. There was no trans-Atlantic cable, no radio, no phones, no internet, no electronic communication in the year 1784. Copies of the Ratified Treaty of Paris had to be physically transported by ship to London.

As a matter of fact, there were three copies of the approved and signed treaty sent, on three separate ships, to Great Britain. It took two months for the treaty to arrive in Great Britain.

By 1786, it become evident that the “Articles of Confederation” the new nation was operating under were not adequate for the task. The Congress eventually called for a convention for “the sole and express purpose” to revise the Articles of Confederation. The convention met from May 25 to September 17, 1787. The result was the creation of the “Constitution of the United States of America.”

The Constitution served us well until early in the 20th Century, when the “administrative state” began to rear its ugly head during the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

Since then, the “administrative state” (otherwise known as “Levithan”) has grown exponentially.

Along with the growth of Leviathan, the Congress has discovered that the distribution from the public treasury helps them to be reelected.

During the course of two world wars, the Great Depression, and the “Cold War” the Congress has increasingly created ways to share the public purse with an increasing number of citizens and non-citizens.

As of December 29, 2024, the Federal National Debt stood at $34.1 trillion dollars. That is equal to our entire annual productivity.

The authors of the Articles of Confederation and the authors of the United States Constitution did not conceive of any debt of this magnitude. We have become slaves to debt. Our Congress has mortgaged our nation far beyond any reasonable amount.

The Revolutionary War was fought for less reason than we have for being dissatisfied with our present government.

Our Federal Government has in effect put us all in the chains of slavery to the national debt. Thomas Jefferson gave us sound advice, which our rulers have ignored.

I fear that in our struggle for fiscal integrity we will suffer more than our fore-fathers did during the struggle for political independence from Great Britain.

Mike Lang, Chairman, Union County Republican Central Committee