What Do the Declaration of Independence & Electric Cooperatives Have In Common?

When Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence, he is credited with saying, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.” That recognition of the need to work together may also be why Franklin, in 1752, founded the first successful cooperative in the United States, the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire, which still operates today.

The principles behind the Declaration of Independence that form the basis of American democracy also form the basis of cooperatives. A cooperative is owned and democratically controlled by the people who use its services. Each member has one vote regardless of their stake; that is, no member can buy more control than anyone else. This stands in stark contrast to investor-owned businesses where only shareholders have a vote in how the business is run; and even among shareholders, some have more votes than others depending on their shares of stock.

The Declaration of Independence declared the equality of rights of its citizens and that people had the right to organize to secure their futures when their rights were infringed upon. At the time the Declaration was written, democracy was a pretty untested idea — but the founders of our country were determined to make it work.

So when you celebrate the many liberties and rights we enjoy with our families and friends this year, think about those principles that inspired our Founding Fathers. They also inspired the pioneers who established electric cooperatives?folks who were determined to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power to secure the futures of rural communities.

Access Energy Cooperative has always operated under the principles of democracy, and we are dedicated to fulfilling that promise as we serve members today and in the future.