Savannah, 2024

“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.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,….”

Of all the American anthems–“Star-Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” etc.–my favorite is “America the Beautiful,” especially the second verse (especially with Ray Charles singing it):

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

Happy Birthday to the USA, with gratitude for the Founders who gave us an audacious idea, and the millions since who have risked their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor believing, supporting, and serving that idea, in countless ways.

For more of Bill’s photographs, go to https://www.billdurrence.com/index