The day after Independence Day doesn't normally get much attention, of course. Most of us will try to soothe our sunburn, figure out what to do with a dozen leftover hot dogs (casserole?) and, given the happy happenstance that this year the fifth falls on a Sunday, generally chill out.

But it's worth remembering that while the first July 4, the one in Philadelphia in 1776, marked the official declaration of independence and touched off huzzahs and celebrations up and down the East coast, it took five more years of war, terrible hardship and sacrifice to make that declaration stand. Without those heroic efforts, the Declaration of Independence was just a piece of paper scribbled with some lofty sentiments.

In the years since, it has required still more toil and struggle to expand and defend the rights and freedoms set in motion that day in 1776.

After the celebration, in other words, comes the work.

And that work continues. Even now, more than 225 years later, the task continues of creating a nation that truly lives up to the lofty sentiments in that founding document -- that we all are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights.

That work proceeds on innumerable fronts, large and small. On many of them we've seen encouraging progress made in recent weeks and months.

Most notably, last fall we elected -- and even North Carolina, wonder of wonders, voted for -- a new president who is determined to return the nation to the moral bearings reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, after his precedessor steered us so far off course.

Recently the indefensible wall of institutionalized discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans finally has started to crumble, state by state.

Here in North Carolina, the General Assembly recently adopted legislation to protect schoolchildren against bullying. Kids don't have many rights -- state law still allows teachers to discipline children by hitting them -- but every child should be able to go to school free of the fear of being intimidated or worse.

For all that has been accomplished, there's so much still to do. We hope everyone had a great Fourth of July holiday. And sometime this weekend, give a thought for at least a moment about why we celebrate it. We don't do it just to honor the historical fact of the colonies' determination to shake off Great Britain's rule. We do it to remind ourselves that they had more in mind than their own freedom -- they had in mind the freedom of every generation that followed them. It's our job to carry on that work, to pick up where those who came before us left off.

We've told you where we stand on this issue. Now we want to know what you think. Send a comment of 75 words or less, with the subject line "Agree or Disagree" to Dave Hart, associate editor, at dhart@nando.com. We'll print your responses here next week. Thanks.