"In short, the flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of depotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them."
"Freedom had been hunted round the globe; reason was considered as rebellion; and the slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing."
"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."
"If we wish to be free; if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending; if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained—we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms, and to the God of hosts, is all that is left us."
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it."
"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as Freedom should not be highly rated."
"The basis of our political system is the right of the people to make and to alter their constitutions of government . . ."
"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude than the animating contest of freedom—go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty . . . And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."
Maybe it's time to act upon the advise of Thomas Jefferson; we need to send our socialist leaning political leaders a message. We will not lay down. Our freedom and liberty was hard won, paid in full by the blood of patriots. If we let our freedom slip away, then mankind will surely endure a thousand years of the darkness of tyranny.
What the fuck is with all these bourgeois Americans?
we do not have a democracy!! WE HAVE A REPUBLIC FORM OF GOVERNMENT!! IT IS WE THE PEOPLE(REPUBLIC) NOT WE THE GOVERNMENT(DEMOCRACY)
This is very rich coming from Americans - they live in a political system with only two parties with any chance of winning, both support big business, to the detriment of the common worker. Elections are simply giant public relations evnts, and the public dont vote on policies, rather than on 'which guy they like the most'. And while they talk about all their forefathers statements of liberty etc, they forget to mention that it was a load of hot air, because at the time they said it while slavery was a common practice, and big business and women werent allowed the vote. Then they sit by and do nothing, while their rights are stripped away from them, all in the name of a grossly overesdimated 'terrorist' threat, which previous american administrations created by crushing secular arab resistance (PLO etc), and empowering fundalmentalist arab resistance (arming resistance to Soviet occupation of Afganistan etc). Like I said this is rich coming from them.... NB/ I agree with Dan and Anonymous 11-09
[Editor's Note: And what enlightened country do you live in?]
I am a japanese citizen, although I'm currently residing in the UK. I don't say japan is free of problems though, and the UK definatly isn't.
The #2 Comment (Samuel Adams) is one of the beautiful passages of english language i have ever had the pleasure to read. God Bless man- seriously.
I love America!
I truly wonder what people think FREEDOM actually is. Freedom will not be taken away from America through the use of arms. I do what I want when I want to do it. Freedom has nothing to do lazyness, sloth, gluttony, greed, and the likes! All men are truly free do as they choose but most do not have the intestinal fortitude required! Credit is all the armament required to subdue ALL humans regardless of national origin. Humanity is fucked up and we just happen to have the best fucked up country on the planet. I LOVE IT! "A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack." Who said this? The weak and politically correct believe they have accomplished something. Go ahead and believe it I say! :-) I'm laughing AT YOU! Pay attention to the layers of past action, else you shall be rudly awakened from the comforts of your anonymity, or worse pass on with it preserved and intact. I don't even feel sorry for you.
Fuck you all this is all shit!!
As to the moron who wrote "F--k you all this is shit!", someone, anyone put this piece of crap out of his misery and send him to the least free possible nation you can find, where he has to blow local militia members to keep his house from being burned, where he pays 75% of his earnings as taxes, and where he can only watch the TV that his local government says he can. Leave the little bastard there, crying like a schoolgirl. We don't need morons like this in America. Get him outta here! JERK!!
@anonymous guy who said "This is very rich coming from Americans" Yes, there are many problems currently with America. However, I think the point of these historical quotes is to remind us of where we came from and to keep us in check. If you look at Brian the Free's comment "Maybe it's time to act upon the advise of Thomas Jefferson" it's obvious this is more a forum for self-reflection. No rebellion has happened in this country for many years and if we're to take Jefferson's advice of every 20 years then we obviously haven't fulfilled our quota. To me, these quotes remind me of what the country could be capable of under better circumstances. And no this what not "hot air" for the time. No matter how clairvoyant Jefferson, Adams et al were they were still products of their time. Slavery was a fact then and women were second class. These men lived over 200 years ago. We cannot project every single one of our modern sensibilities on them and place judgement calls as if they lived in our time. It is through these men's words and actions that later generations have tried to better the situations of the disenfrancised.
Where is Che Guevara " Revolutionary needs Love"
No government has ever allowed freedom or any of their people the right to actively decide upon laws, lest they have more money than the majority. This is because government, in the mind of rulers, has always been synonymous to big business. People refuse to read, learn, study, and apply ethics to life. They stick to their animal natures and hang on to their petty beliefs passed on to them by corrupt rulers. We now live in an age where knowledge and entertainment are both abundant. However, which is valued more? We have the capacity to either be the most intelligent philosophically advanced people ever. Yet at the same time we have the ability to be the most ignorant moronic people ever. There are a few key principles I'd like to pass down to those open-minded enough to read. 1. All living things no matter how intelligent or not have a value incomprehensible to the human mind. Ancient people understood this very well. 2. The MAJORITY of the current world population lives in complete and utter poverty compared even when compared to the ghetto's of the U.S.A. 3. Ignorance is a form of tyranny in and of itself. 4. Tyranny can only be defeated by NEVER compromising. 5. If an individual truly understands their own value and potential they can achieve more good than an entire world of corrupt nations and people. My words will criticized, demonized, and mocked in the usual fashion. Ask yourself though, what do you do for the good of humanity on this complicated hunk of matter that we call Earth?
Regardless the party, religon, sex, race. We the people need to start over. This country is not surviving taking care of other countries but not our own people. We need to stop telling other countries how to run their "stuff" until we can work it into our own budgets, minds, evolutionary prowess, to just feed all the AMERICANS. I also think we gotta close the borders. Send everyone back, yes you.... even if you were born here. If you are here illegally, go home. Leave my job and my tax money, welfare,disability,and all other social services here. Take your kid back and when they are 18 we will happily give them priority to come back LEGALLY. Sorry you lied to your kid,or failed to mention your really from another country. I didnt lie to you about your identity, background and the fact that any moment you can be deported. Damn. Sucks to be you. But see my insurance rates have skyrocketed, hosiptals are closing down, little johnny doesnt have anything to eat tonight because you got his free lunch yet his parents who both work cant afford his crappy ass school lunch money because gas that we purchase from the middle east costs too much! I, digress. We need a rebellion... but in the end who is right, how, when,why. I just want to feed my kids. Live MY AMERICAN DREAM! ITS SOOOO ALIVE FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO COME HERE YOUR KILLING IT FOR THOSE WHO ARE HERE! GET HERE LEGALLY.
brainthefree, why is it always the right-wing fear-mongers who start quacking about "the blood of patriots?" It's you guys who we should be afraid. Let's see, how does it work? Oh yeah, you're right, so anyone who disagrees is wrong. Well, if they're wrong, then they're probably evil too, right? Well then, you think it's alright to kill evil people so...HERE COMES THE TYRANNY OF SMALL MINDS
Scallywag should be afraid, very afraid.