Penned at the birth of our nation 250 years ago, “All men are created equal” remains one of the most consequential phrases ever written. Five simple yet momentous words in the Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776, profoundly remade the world and ushered in an unequaled explosion of freedom and prosperity. If you believe that all men — that is, all people — are created equal, you share the fundamental idea of America and its founders. Everything that makes America great flows from “all men are created equal.”Created equal doesn’t mean created the same. We are all born with distinct attributes. We differ physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Knowing this, the founders defined “created equal” to mean we possess equal worth and equal rights that include the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.If we are equal, we are equal in rights, limited only where our actions infringe on the rights of others. If we possess an equal right to life, no one has the right to take a life. If we possess an equal right to liberty, no one has the right to infringe on the liberty of another. If we possess an equal right to pursue our own happiness, no one has the right to interfere with the pursuit of happiness of another.