The first American to put forth the notion that we all have a natural right to life, liberty and property was James Otis in 1761, 15 years before the Declaration of Independence. In the same breath he called for an end to slavery and said this natural right extended to everyone..

not just white men. He was swept under the rug of history because 10 years later he was deemed insane. But he gave the American Revolution its intellectual spark and he wasn’t a hypocrite like other founding fathers. He never owned a slave and set free a man who was given to him.

This is who we should honor on July 4th. #BlackLivesMattters #July4