triscadek

How many people today, would do what they did?

Do you know what they did?

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock

Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton


Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris


New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple

Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton



I am the Flag

by Ruth Apperson Rous

I am the flag of the United States of America.


I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.


There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.


My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.


Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.


My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.


My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.


My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.


My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.


I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.


I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.


I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.


I am as old as my nation.


I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.


I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people."


I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.


I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.


Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.


I have my own law—Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.


I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.


Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.


I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.


If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.


Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.


As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.


Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.


Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."


I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.


God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Happy Birthday America!!!!!!!!!!!

Predator

Yea, They all had *****! Sometimes hard to find in todays American male.

pete944

Awesome. Thanks for that.




(When I read the post title, I thought it was a wedding vow. Kinda sent shivers up my spine )

UDPride

"Crikey John, you're taking up the whole bloody page!!!!"

SoCal Driver

"we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

The last part of the last sentence of the Declaration Of Independence.

Should be in the Pledge of Alliance.

Jim 944S

I know!!!... I know!!!...

They were all leftist liberals who rebelled against a conservative government!!!



Oh... and also brave men who stood up for what they believed in!!!

Could we have a few more like them in the government today!

Jim 1987 944S

Darius Juca

I know!!!... I know!!!...

They were all leftist liberals who rebelled against a conservative government!!!



Oh... and also brave men who stood up for what they believed in!!!

Could we have a few more like them in the government today!

Jim 1987 944S

I don't think they would be leftist liberals today......ahem...especially regarding our 2'd amendment violations...BUT
Happy Birthday and those men were brave!!!!!

Danno

"They were all leftist liberals who rebelled against a conservative government!!! "

Uh no, they were conservatives who rebelled against a progressive government.

SoCal Driver

Progressive or regressive?

Danno

Progressive. The government of England were adopting new social reforms along with a new official Church of England as well. The folks that left for the New World wanted to keep their old ways and religion.

SoCal Driver

The pilgrim thing was long over by the late 1700's. Many of the founders were borderline atheists.

I would call imposing burdensome and destructive taxes regressive.

Peckster

That statement sounds like the usual jingoistic bs to me.

If youwant to stand up for freedom, you should be upset that two states have just banned Fahrenheit 911.

Whoever did that obviously thinks the average person is too stupid to make their own decision, right?

SoCal Driver

Any ban will not work. Nice try tough.

The movie will have to be pulled here soon anyway as it violates the pre election laws the Democrats put into place.

triscadek

I wish that everyone was as concerned about the sanctity of the 2nd amendment as they are the 1st amendment.

Jim 944S

At the time (after the conclusion of the 7 years war, aka French and Indian war) the typical colonist was paying considerably lower taxes than the average citizen in England. The "F&I war, which was fought to secure the British colonies from attack from the French and the resultant conflict around the world (for it became, indeed, a world war) had brought the British government to its' economic knees. For the colonies to pay their fair share of that burden was something that the British citizens considered only fair.

There were other, more pressing economic interests, supporting the break from England. Representative government was just a rallying cry to suck in the support of the more radical, gullible population (about 1/3 of the population, it has been estimated). The real purpose was to gain the Ohio Valley land and the land west of the demarkation line from the treaty in 1763 (IIRC) which was decreed by international treaty and alloted to the indians as a buffer zone between the English and the French. The prospective land developers (with George Washington being among them) consisted of many if not most of those fermenting revolution since the British government was attempting to follow international law regarding the Indian lands.

After the revolution, however, the average taxes paid by the former British (Now American) colonists, more than TRIPLED!!! Goodness, Gracious, Me!!! AND voting was something the average person in the colonies was not allowed to participate in.

The radical liberal movement had quickly become radical conservatives!

In fact an anti taxation movement was put down by military force under General Washington shortly after the revolution. (whiskey rebellion)

By the way... the initial taxation conflict, those taxes that were considered so oppressive, affected (it has been estimated) only about one tenth of one percent of the colonial citizens.

Danno, you're right, but perhaps referring to the wrong time period... King George the Third was attempting to reduce government expenses and maintain the constitutional government of England and British Empire. From what I've read the King was more than willing to accept negotiations for of representative grievances and specific taxes, but had to insist on the Government's perogative to assess and collect taxes for use for the common good. George the Third was quite a complex man, a supporter of education and scientific endeavour. For the aquisitions to his Royal library, his assistants were forbidden to bid against institution, teacher, or library whose ownership of the book up for bid would enhance learning and public access to the information contained therein. George the Third may have been one of the finest Kings England has ever had. A shame that he's remembered mainly for his later, debilitating neurological disorder.

It might be noted that most of the Generals assigned to the British forces attempting to stabilize the colonies during this time were strongly supportive of the colonies and the King's attempt to quell the rebellion through diplomatic means.

Anyway... back to the original respose... The were all brave men who fought for what they believed in. If Britain had won, we might still be speaking ENGLISH down here in South Florida

Jim 1987 944S (and for the 2nd amendment thing, Triscadek, Spot On! I'm going to go out to the garage and polish the barrel of my Bess (with special attention to the Bayonet!!!)