How Americans Resisted Tyranny And Won

Memorial Flag Cemetery Veteran Grave Military
Very few Americans will recall that last month commemorated the 246th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, an event that transformed not just one nation but an entire world’s concept of personal rights.
The British had been moving steadily to reduce both the private and community rights of their American dominion. The colonists, separated by time and distance from London, had grown accustomed not only to governing themselves, but to the practice of freedoms considerably greater than those in effect anyplace else across the globe. It was becoming increasingly apparent that their liberties were being dismantled. To protect themselves from the escalating abuse, the colonists took steps to protect their liberties.
The National Archives describes what happened next: “On the evening of April 18, 1775, the British authorities, acting on information that a supply of ammunition for the local militia was being stored in Concord, sent British regular troops from Boston to confiscate the arms. Skirmishes occurred in several places, most notably on Lexington town green and afterwards at Old North Bridge spanning the Concord River in Concord. The incidents are referred to as the Lexington Alarm and the Battle of Concord… The colonists felt wronged. They had been fired upon unjustly.”
It’s not surprising that this vital anniversary is barely observed. American education has sharply deemphasized the importance of teaching history. But there is more to this than mere ignorance. To be blunt, the principles that inspired the heroic actions in Massachusetts that directly led not only to the establishment of a unique new nation but to the adoption of the Bill of Rights a mere sixteen years later are not ones shared by those currently in power in Washington, or those who influence public opinion in education, entertainment, and the majority of the major news outlets.
The personal freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights are simply not in vogue with those wielding influence in print or on the air and internet spectrums.
Upon taking office in 2009, Barack Obama promised to fundamentally transform America, and did. Ironically, considering the events commemorated last month, one of his first targets (using the Internal Revenue Service) was the Tea Party, a group named after an action against King George III in 1773 in response to unfair taxes. The Department of Justice was employed to harass those who disagreed with the Obama-Biden Administration on climate change. In 2014, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) introduced a measure in the Senate to weaken the First Amendment in order to be able to restrict paid political speech. He garnered 41 votes, but fortunately lost.
No less a person than a United States Supreme Court Justice has also expressed a similar lack of respect for the central principle behind the founding of the nation. During the 2010 confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, Sen. Tom Coburn had a testy exchange in which he pushed her to state her belief in fundamental rights. She evaded answering.
The plutocrats of social media, and the campus administrators who tolerate no difference of opinion, have pulled out all the stops to suppress differences of thought. This has led to an environment that justifies physically assaulting opponents in the streets who disagree with leftist ideology.
Almost a century after the Revolution, Abraham Lincoln — in the midst of a Civil War that sought to extend the personal liberties the colonists fought for to those enslaved — speculated on how Americans could lose those precious rights. “Whence shall we expect the approach of danger? […] In the trial of a thousand years, if destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we will live forever…or die by suicide.”
Frank Vernuccio serves as editor-in-chief of the New York Analysis of Policy & Government
Originally published on Townhall Finance.
Frank Vernuccio serves as editor-in-chief of the New York Analysis of Policy & Government (website usagovpolicy.com). He is the co-host of the syndicated radio program, Vernuccio/Novak Report, and is also a contributor to Fox News. His columns appear in many newspapers. After graduating Hofstra Law School, he was a legislative editor for a major publishing company, then served in both Republican and Democrat Administrations. Following the 9/11 attack, he was appointed to run the hard-hit Manhattan branch of the New York State Workers Compensation Board.
Trending Now on Affluent Christian Investor
Sorry. No data so far.
The Affluent Mix
Biden Oblivious To Illegal Immigration Issues... August 2, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Rob Arnott On Bubbles, Inflation, And Once-In-A-Generation Investment Opportunit... August 2, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

The Federal Reserve’s Massive Theft Of Stability... August 2, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

What To Do About This Difficult Market? August 2, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Letter On The Politicization Of Corporations... July 26, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Peak Of The Fake Bull Market July 26, 2021 | Michael Pento

Woodrow Wilson’s Administrative State vs. Gold... July 26, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Dividends, Energy, And Crypto July 26, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Whose Side Are You On? July 26, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Media, Left Ignore These Dangers July 19, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Mark Skousen On FreedomFest And How To Measure The Whole Economy... July 19, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Quantifying The Quantitative, Or Making Easy The Easing... July 19, 2021 | David Bahnsen

The Gold Standard Means A Rising Standard Of Living... July 19, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

Book Review: Brian Domitrovic Reveals The Monetary Genius Of Arthur Laffer... July 19, 2021 | John Tamny

Steve Forbes: Time To Worry About Inflation, Not Hyperinflation... July 12, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

UFOs Rescue Biden July 12, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

Read This Classical Economist’s 200 Year Old Warning About Paper Money... July 12, 2021 | Jim Huntzinger

How Central Banks Murdered The Markets July 12, 2021 | Michael Pento

Everything There Is To Know About The Stock Market... July 12, 2021 | David Bahnsen

AT&T CEO: We’re Ill Equipped For Politics, And We’re Spending A Lot Of ... July 6, 2021 | Jerry Bowyer

Internet Bias Distorts National Conversation... July 6, 2021 | Frank Vernuccio

The Halfway Point Of 2021 July 6, 2021 | David Bahnsen

Join the conversation!
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.