Celebrate our History as the United States of America!

The 250th Anniversary Celebration is slow fading into history, but the Liberty Bell of Freedom is still ringing! There are a variety of almost forgotten documents and events from our History that I want to mention today.  They highlight our opposition to tyranny and oppression, starting with the Pilgrims me to Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower in 1620 to seek Freedom to Worship God. Those 102 brave voyagers took a huge risk to sail to a New World. Upon arrival, they signed the Mayflower Compact to ensure they would have a government of laws, with the stated purpose of “Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first Colony…” Although 51 of them died in their first winter here, they set in motion a longing to honor God and pursue Freedom.

                150 years later, the colonists now occupied 13 states, and wrote their Declaration of Independence from King George of England, who had acted as a tyrant toward them for many years.  They cited 27 long-standing grievances against the King. They declared that “all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  56 men put their names on the line, pledging “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.”  Many of them lost their homes, businesses and lives by making such a bold claim. Tyranny always wants to stamp out freedom!

                After the Revolutionary War ended, they came together in 1787 to draft a Constitution for this new Nation. It was a trying process, and they were struggling to come to unity. At the counsel of Benjamin Franklin, they joined in DAILY prayer at their Convention in Philadelphia. And by God’s Grace, the American Constitution was born!  They established a Democratic Republic, based on their knowledge of the Greek and Roman systems of government from the past.  They gave power to the people, but also set boundaries by requiring them to exercise government through their elected representatives. They added the First Ten Amendments (“The Bill of Rights”), giving Freedoms and protections to the people (Example: 1^st Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Assembly, the Press, and to Petition the Government regarding any improper conduct).  250 years later, it still stands!  The average length of a Governmental Constitution worldwide is 17 years!

                In 1812, they fought a second War against the British, who were still operating oppressively. Britian imposed trade restrictions and blockades on the United States, while taking our sailors captive and forcing them to serve in the Royal Navy.  During this war, an American Christian Lawyer named Francis Scott Key was held captive aboard a British battleship in Baltimore’s harbor. Throughout the 25-hour bombardment of Ft. McHenry, he stayed awake, watching to see if the Americans would survive or surrender. At dawn, he glimpsed the Flag still flying, and wrote an inspiring poem about it! The first stanza ends with the question, “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” It so inspired the Americans that it became our National Anthem, (still impossible to sing without tears coming to my eyes.)

                Fifty years later, a great Civil War threatened the future of our nation. The Southern States promoted slavery, which contradicted the statement from our Declaration, “All men are created equal.” President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 freeing all the slaves. 700,000 men died during that war to end this great curse of slavery. On July 1-3, 1863, 50,000 casualties were inflicted on the battlefield at Gettysburg, PA. Later that year, Lincoln went to the battlefield to establish it as a National Cemetery. His famous speech (“The Gettysburg Address”) lasted only 2 minutes. He concluded, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Lincoln later was killed for his beliefs by a southerner, John Wilkes Booth. But his courage and that of “The Union” preserved our great country. Once again oppression was defeated!

                We fought against tyranny in WWI and WWII, the latter against Hitler in Germany, Mussolini in Italy and Hirohito in Japan. How different the world would be if we had been defeated! But that was not the end of oppression around the world.  We have seen it rear its ugly head in Russia and China, Korea and Cuba, as millions of their own people were put to death as they sought freedom.

                In our day, Marxism, Communism and Socialism seek to take over businesses, remove private property rights and penalize those who succeed.  They promote their cause by offering free health and childcare, free education, free transportation and housing. But wise people know that nothing is truly “free.”  Freedom only comes at a great cost!  Oppression comes in many forms, as Islam also makes inroads across the world. Those who know history understand that the Crusades were fought to stop the spread of this religious force of domination. While the current methods differ, their goal of world domination is the same as centuries ago.  We can see evidence recently in Iran, where over 30,000 people lost their lives at the hands of their own government.

                When we see these examples of tyranny across history, it matters that we know where we came from! Let’s study the Great History of these United States so it may never be forgotten! It must  be passed on to the next generations who desperately need to know these stories!

                Yet ultimately, the only true Freedom comes from Jesus Christ! He stated, “Who the Son sets free is free indeed.”  It is only where the Spirit of the Lord is that there is True Liberty!  When we reach out for Freedom, we are echoing the Words and Ways of our Savior! So Let Freedom Ring!