The story of America is unique in human history. Looking at the millennia of civilization, we see people exchanging one form of oppression with another. Not long ago, slavery and oppression were the universal principle of government. Around the world, power was held by the strongest, concentrated in the elite.
To be sure, there were times that people revolted against oppression, but in all these cases the people traded one tyrant for another in the hopes of finding a more just master. Look at the change from the Senate to Caesar, Czar to Lenin, Lenin to Stalin, King Louis XVI to Napoleon, the Qing Dynasty to Communist China, Yellow Emperor to Red Dictator, Wilhelm II to the Weimar Republic, and the Weimar Republic to Adolf Hitler. In all these instances, people rejected one ruler and fell into the hands of another.
Something new and different happened in America in 1776. Instead of replacing a tyrannical king with another overlord, the Founding Fathers acted on the bold proposition that the American people can govern themselves. That is what Thomas Jefferson meant when he wrote “We the People,” and that is what the world understood when the Founders presented the Declaration of Independence on the world stage.
Instead of replacing the king with another all-powerful head of state, the American people accepted responsibility for their own freedom. “We the People” chose to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” That is no small matter. We are not given the task to “try” to be free or to “hope” to be free. As Americans, “We the People” must “secure” liberty for ourselves and for future generations.
In recent years, we have seen threats to liberty increase and the very foundation of our nation is at risk. The tyranny we have fought to keep at bay for more than two centuries is encroaching through an ever-growing bureaucracy and government overreach under the guise of taking care of us. Just as the foundation of our liberty is within each human heart, the response to these new threats begins in the heart of every American.
If “We the People” wish to remain free and truly secure the blessings of liberty for our children and grandchildren, we must once again pursue the simple solutions on which the Founders relied. These solutions are simple, but they are not easy. They require dedication, commitment, and consistency, but most of all they require a belief that they will work—that these simple solutions will, in fact, solve our complex problems and not only protect liberty but secure it for generations to come.
What are these liberty-preserving solutions? We know that liberty begins in the home and family. Strong, patriotic families will raise strong children who can resist the temptations of tyranny and accept the responsibility of liberty. The most important work we can do to preserve our nation is within our own home with our own family. The values we give our children through our daily life will determine the future of the republic.
One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is who we are. In a time when Marxist radicals are trying everything to undermine and distort the study of history, knowing our heritage has never been more important. In order to understand our liberty, we must know our history and understand that the foundation of our government is the protection of our God-given rights. We are not classes and identities but individuals who belong to the freest nation on Earth, and it is up to us to preserve that freedom.
More than anything, we know that stories touch the heart and pierce the soul like no other medium. We must nourish our souls and inspire our children with the story of America, the story of God’s people, and the story of liberty as it has appeared throughout human history.
When “We the People” take responsibility for our freedom — when we cultivate a garden of liberty, educate our children, worship God, and live according to the virtues that freedom requires — tyrants will have no power over us. When we are tempted to fear and despair, we must all remember that the Good, the True, and the Beautiful remain at the heart of true freedom.
No matter the administration in power, these eternal principles do not change. These are the principles on which the Founding Fathers set our great nation, and they are the principles through which we will secure liberty if we have the courage to accept our responsibility.
Kimberly Fletcher is the president and founder of Moms for America, author of “WOMEN: America’s Last Best Hope,” and a radio host. Moms for America is a national, non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation rooted in the principles of liberty and virtue upon which our nation was founded, and focused on promoting these principles, values, and virtues in the home and family through the women and mothers of America. Kimberly is the wife of a retired Air Force Officer and mother of 8 children, who has made it her personal mission to educate and inspire the women of America to realize their immeasurable worth and powerful influence on society simply by being who they are.