Senator Mike Bernskoetter

6th Senatorial District

For Immediate Release: 

July 3, 2025

Capitol Building, Room 416

Jefferson City, MO 65101

Contact Kenny Ross: 

 573-751-2076

Celebrating the Fourth of July

This week our nation celebrates the Fourth of July. It is not only an opportunity for families and friends to get together and enjoy fireworks and barbecues. It is also a chance to reflect on this nation’s origins. The Fourth of July is when we celebrate our independence from Great Britain, and the beginning of a bold new undertaking.

One of my favorite quotes from American history comes from the end of the Gettysburg Address. President Abraham Lincoln had traveled to Gettysburg, the site of a three-day battle that saw over 50,000 American casualties and was a pivotal turning point in the American Civil War. 

His address was short compared to the other orators of that day, but at the very end of his speech, he gave a summation that perfectly encapsulates the American experiment. He said “…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” This line, spoken by one of our greatest presidents, summarizes one of the main themes for which our nation stands. That the people have the right and ability to govern themselves. While much of the world subscribes to some form of democracy now, it was a radical concept on July 4, 1776.

At that time, the world was dominated by monarchies that subscribed to the concept of the divine right of kings: the idea that royal families had a God-given right to rule with absolute power. When we declared Independence from Great Britain, we said with one voice we had the right to rule ourselves. That we could elect leaders who would govern the nation with the intent to do what is best for the people.

It was such a simple line that Lincoln said at the end of the Gettysburg Address, but it always sticks with me – a government of the people, by the people and for the people.     While celebrating the Fourth of July I hope we can all take a moment to reflect on these words, and then go out and have some good food, watch some fireworks and enjoy our independence this Fourth of July! Happy Independence Day!

Please feel free to contact my office at 573-751-2076. For information about my committee assignments or sponsored legislation, please visit my official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Bernskoetter.