“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.” – The Declaration of Independence

The drafters of the Declaration of Independence painstakingly chose each word and the position these words were put into. This was done in order to stress their ardent beliefs and grievances against the British Crown. Please note that before among the truths held as self -evident, LIFE was placed before even liberty and the pursuit of happiness as fundamental to what our founders believed necessary and essential to the American republican way of virtue and life.