On this our 4th of July, or our Independence Day weekend, I am sorely reminded of the quote of Abigail Adams. As you know, she was the wife of John Adams, who argued on behalf of accepting Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence. As a result he was nicknamed “the Colossus” by Jefferson.
Abigail Adams uttered the agonizing question: “I wonder if future generations will ever know what we have suffered on their behalf?”
Albert Einstien was once an avowed atheist. After study and consideration, he seemed to change his tune. Here’s what he said:
“Only the church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing the truth. I never had any special interest in the church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly”
Those Founding Fathers who were against the U.S. Constitution included Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. Both of them thought that the Constitution did not protect the average citizen enough.
Jefferson was still in France, but sent his reservations by letter to his friend James Madison, the Father of the Constitution. He encouraged James to continued to fight for a Bill of Rights.
Patrick Henry opposed the Constitution in the Constitutional Assembly held in Virginia to vote on the document. He made several long speeches against its adoption, some lasting all day. He made at least one speech almost every one of the 17 days of the State Convention. He also wanted a more specific Bill of Rights.
When the U.S. Constitution was ratified and George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States of America, not only was a new nation created, but also a new culture.
This new nation was based on the founding principles of honesty, human rights, and virtue. The nation provided as John Adams described it: “a light on a hill” for all to look to admire, and duplicate. There was an excellence for other nations, and peoples, to strive after.
The creation of the United State of America gave other nations an understanding that the United States of America is a place where people could be free. They would be free to practice their religion as they chose, free to think whatever was on their minds, and even free to speak those thoughts.
The story is told of how the Liberty Bell sounded on July 4, 1776, to celebrate the signing and announcement of the Declaration of Independence. However, no announcement was made on that date, so no celebration or bell ringing was held to get the ball rolling, so to speak.
That myth, or old folk tale, was started by an article printed in 1847, in a book titled “Washington and His Generals: or Legends of the American Revolution”, by George Lippard, a Philadelphia journalist. It is now apparent that Mr. Lippard concocted the whole story of the bell’s involvement in the Revolution. He therefore forged one of the greatest mythical symbols of the Freedom of America.
I was looking for something nice to say on this Memorial Day weekend. In my favorite quote books there wasn’t much between memory and virtues. But I did find this quote which really touched a nerve and I thought should be considered in our nation on this day we celebrate some heroes.
“The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas—a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish, and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” –Ronald Reagan.
“So be sure when you step,
step with care and great TACT.
And remember that life’s
A great balancing act.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
–Dr. Seuss
“Tact is the ability to see others as they see themselves.”
–Abraham Lincoln
“So you’ve got a problem? That’s good. Why? Because repeated victories over your problems are the rungs on your ladder to success With each victory you grow in wisdom, stature, and experience. You become a bigger, better, more successful person each time you meet a problem and tackle and conquer it with a positive mental attitude.”
–W. Clement Stone
In honor of this Tax Day in these United States, I leave only a quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
Of course you’ve heard that one, but have you heard this quote from him? He was once asked if our country should ever have income or direct taxation. (You know that was unconstitutional until 1913 and the sixteenth Amendment).
“His response was immediate and direct: “No. An income tax will make liars out of the people and a despot out of the government.”
Thomas Jefferson should truly be remembered and honored today. What did he accomplish? I’ll just mention a few here. He graduated from William and Mary College and then studied law for 5 years under George Wythe, the first law professor in Virginia.
By then he was already an accomplished violinist and dancer. He fell in love with and married another musician, Martha Wayles Skelton. He had already begun construction on Montecello, so they moved in to the one room that was finished there. He worked on building and remodeling for the next 40 years. (If you haven’t been there, you should go to visit and to observe the detail and the beauty of his mansion on the hill.
Franklin, of course, was first a printer. And a good one at that. Of course he needed things to print in his newspaper. He loved good stories. He even made some up—especially to discourage the British in the Revolutionary War.
Did he go too far? Only you can decide. In 1789, the year before Ben died, a newspaper article was printed in which Ben is reported to have said:
“My proposal, then, is to leave liberty of the press untouched, to be exercised in its full extent, force and vigor, but to permit liberty of the cudgel (which is a short and heavy club, for those of you who can’t remember your high school English) to go with it . . . .Thus, my fellow citizens, if an impudent writer attacks your reputation, dearer to you perhaps than your life, you may go to him openly and break his head.” (Clarence S. Brigham, Journals and Journeymen, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, page 69. Emphasis omitted, spelling and capitalization modernized.