On the Fourth of July, we celebrate the uniqueness of America -- defined in the Declaration of Independence

On the Fourth of July we proudly celebrate the day 13 colonies became states and those states became a nation. But there was far more going on.

When drafting our Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson could have written solely about the need to replace a despotic king with a just one – the issue of his day. Jefferson could have left off the promise of respect for every individual’s “unalienable rights” to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” But he didn't.

Unlike any other nation, America was founded on a promise that, no matter who you are or where you’re from, you will have the opportunity to pursue your dreams – your happiness – free from government oppression. It was a promise no other nation had ever made.

This promise released an entrepreneurial energy that turned 13 backwoods colonies into the world’s largest economy and most powerful nation. While our efforts to keep that promise have been imperfect, the ideals that gave birth to it keep us striving for perfection.

I take that promise very personally because I am one of the Americans who have benefitted from it. I am a second-generation American from a working-class family. I worked at any job I could find to get through college and law school – from painting houses to jack-hammering concrete – without government or family assistance.