The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776. On September 17, 1787, when thirty-nine of our Founding Fathers signed The Constitution of the United States, America officially became a sovereign nation. Over the course of the following 20+ decades, America has endured many trials, growing pains, and numerous wars, domestic as well as foreign, every time coming through stronger and better than before. Today, America is the most diverse, the strongest, most powerful, most prosperous, yet most generous nation on Earth …and the envy of the rest of the world. The reason? The first two Amendments to the Constitution. The 1st Amendment protects the right to speak one’s mind, and worship as they see fit. The second protects the first by giving every citizen the right to protect themselves, their families, and property.