Every Fourth of July, Americans celebrate freedom with flags, fireworks, and familiar words, such as this line from the Declaration of Independence, “All men . . . are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” This foundational American document thus begins with a truth about humanity: all people should enjoy freedom because of their God-given rights and worth in their Creator’s eyes.
People have rights because God made them—they don’t come from a government that may either protect or deny them. Mankind’s value is inherent and doesn’t depend on what a king, court, or nation decides. Every person is part of the same created human family. People may differ in appearance, skill, wealth, or social position, but those differences do not change their basic worth. Nor do weakness, age, illness, or poverty diminish that value. Our dignity cannot be earned or lost. It is simply part of who we are. The Creator gave it to all mankind when He first created man and woman at the beginning: “So God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27).
Unique human abilities also show mankind’s intrinsic value. People use detailed language, create art and music, solve math problems, study the world, and make moral choices. They also ask deep questions about truth, meaning, and purpose. Although not every person has the same gifts or interests, people do share the same special design. For example, studies of the human brain continue to show features that set it apart from the brains of other creatures.1 And human language is a rich system of words, symbols, and meaning that is a unique part of human life and relationship.2
President Dwight D. Eisenhower also linked American freedom to belief in God, who established our worth as people made in His image. In 1955, Eisenhower said, “Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first -- the most basic -- expression of Americanism.”3 His words follow the logic of the Declaration. If rights come from God, rulers answer to a power higher than themselves. As a result, no person should be treated as property, a tool, or a product of the state.
The Fourth of July celebrates political freedom. Yet the Declaration points to a deeper truth. Human dignity comes from our shared essence as God’s image-bearers. Liberty rests on rights that no human ruler has the authority to erase.
References
1. Pittella, J. E. H. 2024. The Uniqueness of the Human Brain: A Review. Biomedicines. 12 (4).
2. Novack, M. A., and S. R. Waxman. 2020. Becoming Human: Human Infants Link Language and Cognition, But What About the Other Great Apes? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 375 (1789).
3. Eisenhower, D. D. Quotes. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home. Posted on eisenhowerlibrary.gov May 1, 2026.
* Dr. Corrado earned a Ph.D. in systems engineering from Colorado State University and a Th.M. from Liberty University. He is a freelance contributor to ICR’s Creation Science Update, works in the nuclear industry, and is a Captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
