WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S Senator Angus King (I-ME) released the following video message this morning in honor of Independence Day, “America’s great civic holiday.”

“Indeed the Declaration's most famous guarantee of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ stands today as a clarion call not only to our country, but also for each citizen of the world who aspires and strives for universal freedom,” Senator King said in the video.

To watch the video, click below. A broadcast-quality version of the video can also be downloaded by clicking here.

Senator King, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, is currently visiting Jordan and Turkey with Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to get a firsthand look at the impact that the situation in Syria is having on the region and on U.S. national security interests. The senators are meeting with high-ranking foreign leaders, diplomats, and American military commanders, civilian personnel, and U.S. troops who are currently serving overseas.

The complete transcript of Senator King’s message can be found below:

“Today we celebrate America’s great civic holiday, Independence Day, July 4th. Two hundred and thirty-seven years ago, a group of patriots risked their lives. When they signed that Declaration of Independence, they were putting their lives on the line not only to declare ‘the causes that impelled them to form a new country,’ but also to put forth a set of noble ideals that continue to inspire our great nation today.

“At its core the Declaration of Independence is a statement of principle. It calls for government that derives its just powers from the consent of the governed; and is, through its constitution, most likely to promote the safety and prosperity of its citizens. This was a big idea at the time in 1776: the idea that the people were in charge, and that the people had fundamental, and as they said, ‘unalienable’ rights, that can't be given away or taken away. This was a radical notion in the history of the world.

“Indeed the Declaration's most famous guarantee of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ stands today as a clarion call not only to our country, but also for each citizen of the world who aspires and strives for universal freedom. As President Lincoln said, ‘This principle of liberty for all, gives hope to all.’ He once compared the Declaration to ‘an apple of gold, framed, adorned, and preserved by our union and our Constitution.’

“I'm grateful to those who protect our liberty every day. Our soldiers and our far-flung sailors, and men and women in the military on battlefields around the world.”

“This Independence Day please join me in a moment of reflection on our country's founding ideals. This is the only country in the world founded on an idea, and today we celebrate that idea. I'm proud to join you on the 4th of July, 2013.

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