July 4, 1776: 13 Free and Independent States -

On July 4, people all across these United States of America shoot off fireworks, grill meat, and march in patriotic parades to celebrate America's 250th birthday. 
July 4, 1776, was "the birth of a nation," or so we are told. But that’s not exactly what happened. 
A "nation" implies a single, unified political society. However, when the founding fathers inked their names on the Declaration of Independence, they didn't birth a "nation." In fact, the colonies became 13 sovereign nations in their own right. 
<h2>What Does the Declaration of Independence Say?</h2>
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Most Americans are familiar with the Declaration of Independence – or at least the first few paragraphs. Students learn many of the opening lines in school.
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“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.”
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In the first several paragraphs of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson laid out important foundational principles. After establishing the source of our rights, he asserted that governments derive their “just powers from the consent of the governed.”
He also declared that “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
Indeed, the Declaration of Independence is a secession document.
Sadly, most people don’t read past these fundamental principles. They set the document aside once they get to the list of grievances against England. But by failing to read to the end, they miss the key truth.
Because while the principles Jefferson articulated create a philosophical foundation for Independence, they didn’t actually do anything. You don’t get to the operative and binding section of the declaration until the final paragraph.
It is here that we find the colonists had no intention of birthing “a nation.” The Declaration birthed "13 free and independent states."
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“We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.” [Emphasis added]
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Note that it doesn’t read, "free and independent state" – singular. Jefferson wrote “states” – plural.
The colonies declared their independence from Great Britain as individual sovereign political societies, each with the power to do all things “which independent States may of right do.” In principle, each state existed as a separate nation –  think France, Great Britain, Virginia, New York. Great Britain affirmed this at the end of the war, recognizing the 13 sovereign states in the Treaty of Paris and naming them each individually.
<h2>A United Confederated Republic</h2>
Yes, the colonies were united. They ceded some of their authority (specifically relating to war, trade, and foreign policy) to the federal Congress. However, they never gave up their sovereignty, and they weren't formally united for five years.
You may think I'm nitpicking, but this is a crucial distinction.
Black’s Law Dictionary, a primary legal source in the founding era, described the difference between a nation and a federal republic.
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“A national government is a government of the people of a single state or nation, united as a community by what is termed the ‘social compact,’ and possessing complete and perfect supremacy over persons and things, so far as they can be made the lawful objects of civil government. A federal government is distinguished from a national government by its being the government of a community of independent and sovereign states, united by compact.”
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Although Alexander Hamilton held strong nationalist convictions, even he conceded the United States were not “one nation” in Federalist #32.
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“An entire consolidation of the States into one complete national sovereignty would imply an entire subordination of the parts; and whatever powers might remain in them, would be altogether dependent on the general will. But the plan of the convention aims only at a partial union or consolidation, the State governments would clearly retain all rights of sovereignty which they before had, and which were not, by that act, exclusively delegated to the United States.”
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And while the states were united in their act of declaring independence, they never relinquished their sovereign individuality. It wasn’t until the states ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1781 that they were formally united, and even then, the Articles specifically affirmed the sovereignty of the states.
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“Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.”
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So, the "one nation" narrative is a myth. The colonies declared independence as sovereign states. They ratified the Articles of Confederation as sovereign states. And they ratified the Constitution as sovereign states. They never ceded their sovereignty. To this day, the United States are a union of sovereign political societies.
The document we celebrate this week testifies to this truth.
<h2>The One Nation Myth: The Root of Centralized Power</h2>
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But why does it matter?
Because the "one nation" system is contrary to the founders' vision. Most governance was intended to happen at the local and state levels. James Madison articulated this brilliantly in <a href="https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed45.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Federalist #45</a>.
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"The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part, be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State. The operations of the federal government will be most extensive and important in times of war and danger; those of the State governments, in times of peace and security."
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Today, this system is flipped on its head. Washington, D.C., controls virtually everything, all of the time, and states have been relegated to administrative jurisdictions. Power has been centralized in the "nation's capital," to the extent that the federal government decides what kind of light bulbs you can screw into your fixtures and how much water can flow through your toilet. That is the exact opposite of "powers few and defined."
While the U.S. still isn't technically a nation, it functions as one in practice — much to our detriment. 
When the U.S. was still small compared to today, Thomas Jefferson warned that this kind of centralized power would prove disastrous. 
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“Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, must, from the circumstance of distance, be unable to administer and overlook all the details necessary for the good government of the citizens; and the same circumstance, by rendering detection impossible to their constituents, will invite public agents to corruption, plunder and waste.”
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When you couple a massive centralized government with <a href="https://www.moneymetals.com/news/2026/05/26/sound-money-the-enemy-of-big-government-and-a-friend-to-liberty-004939">a central bank that can create money at will</a>, you end up with the bloated, overbearing, overreaching, liberty-destroying government we have today. 
Some food for thought as you enjoy those burgers and hot dogs. Perhaps as we celebrate, we should consider restoring the vision of the founders through decentralization.

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