This famous phrase in the Declaration of Independance of the United States, was first written by a famous Italian Political Philosopher, Filippo Mazzei, of Tuscan origin.
Mazzei was a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and he even helped the cause of the Americans by persuading the Courts of Europe into donating supplies and money to help in their independance from England.
In 1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt even reminded Americans of the importance of Filippo Mazzei’s contribution to our Declaration of Independance. Roosevelt also quoted from a letter that Mazzei had written to James Madison ( the American president that followed Jefferson) ” I know that wherever I go I will always work for the well-being and progress of the country of my adoption.”
Even after over 200 years, that same adoption between Italy and America lives on. It also lives in the hearts of so many Americans.
As Italian Americans, we are always aware of the great contribution our culture has given to America.
God Bless America – God Bless Italy, Sicily and Ustica
Marlene Manfre Marchese Robershaw
