As I was thinking about writing this column for the Fourth of July, I wanted to find some great quote I could use, or perhaps some catchy phrase that would be interesting. I could have started a Google search, but instead I chose to look right under my nose, where I could find the dictum “E Pluribus Unum” printed on a dollar bill.

As I thought about these words, which translate to “out of many, one,” I came to the realization that this is truly what our American heritage is about. We are a nation that is the melting pot of the world, and we are a nation where people of every race, sex, religion and opinion can come together and live in a peaceful society with one another.

The reason we can do this is because we were all given the same freedoms as Americans. We have a government wherein the power originates with our people, and we have unalienable rights that cannot be taken away from us. It’s these rights that were first written about in our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.

Certainly the men who voted to adopt this declaration at the Second Continental Congress could never have imagined how vast and diverse our country would become. Yet at the same time, they laid out a vision for our country that would endure through the many trials we have faced over the years.

When it comes down to it, the Founding Fathers had a deep trust for people. And as I go about my work as a legislator on the state level, I strive to have this same trust of people. Much like the founders were concerned about the role of government in the people’s lives, I lean on the side of less government when it comes to our personal and business decisions.

I couldn’t be more thankful than I already am for the rights and freedoms that have been passed down to us from generation to generation, ever since the American Revolution. Many of those who fought for our freedoms sacrificed their lives for something greater than themselves—so that we can enjoy such freedoms today.

As we go about our Fourth of July weekend, I ask that you remember what was given to us and that you reflect on how wonderful it is to live in a country where so many different people can come together as one.