Opinion

WILLIAM BENNETT, JOSEPH BENNETT: What the Fourth of July really calls us to do

With Washington and Lincoln as our models, we march forward toward greater progress, equality, and the pursuit of happiness

By William J. Bennett , Joseph Bennett Fox News

Published July 4, 2026 12:00pm EDT

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Freshman GOP lawmaker unveils Declaration of Independence bill for America 250

Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn., says the measure is meant to reaffirm the country’s founding values — and push back on the rise of socialism in the Democratic Party.

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There is a habit of mind that built this country: the willingness to risk everything for what you will not live to see. That is the central lesson of the founding. The founders called it virtue, and they staked their lives on it — pledging their sacred honor with a firm reliance on divine Providence. Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of men put their names to a declaration that could have been their death warrant, because they believed people could govern themselves and that no king held a birthright to rule them.

Arrayed against the colonies stood the greatest empire on earth — a professional army of more than........

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