Tuscaloosa lawyers read Declaration of Independence on courthouse steps

Members of the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association gathered June 30 on the front steps of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse for the group’s annual reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The reading has been a tradition for the group since 2012. Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Hays Webb has said during past gatherings that reading the text aloud serves as important reminder of what the Fourth of July celebration is all about.

By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence and the document served as a major step in the formation of the United States of America.

The preamble states the principles that form the basis of the United States government:

"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, 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.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Spirit of 1776: Tuscaloosa lawyers read Declaration of Independence