Patrick Henry is famous for his quote “give me liberty or give me death!” But this wasn’t his only speech. Patrick Henry was a brave defender of Liberty and an amazing orator. He fought on the anti-federalist side of the Constitutional debates and gave a very convincing case. 

One of his speeches included the quote “it is natural in man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth- and listen to the song of that syren, till she transforms us into beasts…. are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not?” I know I’m not alone when I say I’ve had some personal experience with this quote. It is so easy to convince ourselves nothing bad is happening or that we are and always have been free. One of the most difficult things to do is admit that we’ve messed up and need to fix it. However, sometimes we need to face the facts despite the heartache and trial it may cause because if we do that, we can create a world so much better than the one we live in now. We won’t have to make ourselves believe we’re free because we will be free. 

Another quote Patrick Henry shared is “…until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained-we must fight- I repeat sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and the God of hosts, is all that is left us!” This one quote summarizes the point Patrick Henry made in almost all of his speeches… there is no easy way to restore liberty, there never has been, and there never will be. Nothing worth so much can be obtained by so little. Once again, don’t blind yourselves and believe that everything is alright, it’s not. Don’t trick yourselves into thinking that it will be easy, it won’t. But once liberty is returned there is no doubt in my mind that no one will regret the trial, sacrifice, or heartache they endured because, as Patrick Henry also said “Liberty is the greatest of all earthly blessings, give us that precious jewel and you may take everything else.” EVERYTHING else. 

On this Thanksgiving, we have taken the time like many others to reflect on what we’re thankful for. Each of the writers here have decided to relay our gratitude to all of our readers to hopefully inspire all of you to consider the same. 
After this year, I have discovered my gratitude in others not nearly expressed enough. I truly am thankful for the support I receive from all of those around me, in every endeavor I pursue. I am also truly in debt to those we honor here every week. Without the courage, dedication, and persistence demonstrated by the founding fathers and their influencers, we wouldn’t be where we are today, nor would I be who I am today. I am thankful for the lives lost and the battles fought so that the country could prosper. A big thanks is directed at the people who have inspired me and if I’ve never said it, I hope it was implied. Lastly, thank you to everyone who has read and supported our website over time. We never expected this, but inside we did hope this would happen. Our readers continue to inspire us to keep writing, and show us that change is in our future. I know I speak for the both of us when I say we are immensely gracious for everything that this expedition has provided and can’t wait to see where it will go. 

I am also grateful for the wonderful people who are in my life, who support me, and inspire me. I am grateful for the people who came before me as well, the ones who paved the road I strive to follow. I cannot express my gratitude enough for this past year. I have received so much inspiration and have had so many incredible experiences that I will never be able to forget. I am so grateful for all I have learned throughout the past couple years as well, and for a teacher who has helped me accomplish more than I ever thought I could. I am so grateful that I have been able to start these writings and am especially grateful for all of you, who have supported us by reading what we write and using it to make a difference.

“There is no liberty without virtue.” 

Through the lessons of an amazing teacher, and through the examples of the founding fathers and others who came before us, I know this to be true. But, why is virtue the most essential part of restoring liberty? Why does it matter so much? The anti-federalists argued the Constitution gave too much power to the government and, by looking at how we live today, they might’ve been right. However, the federalists countered with the fact that through a virtuous people, the Constitution would safe keep every single right we owned and maintain liberty. It would give all power to the people unless they gave the power away. They were also right. This is because a virtuous people will know when their liberty is being taken away and will do everything within their power to stop it. On the contrary, a unvirtuous people will either not realize their freedoms are being taken, or simply not care if they are. My challenge for you is to establish yourself as a virtuous person. Don’t sit idly thinking, “well, America was good while it lasted”. Do everything within your power to restore America to its former glory. Be honest, kind, humble, and helpful. Only through people with virtue like this can liberty be returned. George Washington said “I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man”. Likewise, each of us should strive to achieve virtue because only then will we achieve liberty. 

In 1787, a group of incredible men came together to form a government which would preserve liberty and protect every state. After many drafts and much debating, they finally settled on the Constitution we have today. We know it was written to “form a perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure these blessings to ourselves and our posterity.” But what does that mean? Most people don’t know that the United States of America weren’t meant to be a single country, they were meant to be 50 separate countries that only came together if they were collectively being threatened or if their liberty was in danger. When we think about that today, it’s easy to say that’s not what it ended up being. Today, we have an all powerful government that somehow has the ability to control every single state without any difficulty. When the founding fathers created this union, they imagined a place where each state had their own set of laws and their own government, that meant that if you didn’t agree to a set of laws then you could move to a different state and have completely different rules. Could you image what that would be like today? The federal government would have absolutely no power to control anything that had to do with the individual states. They would only have power to keep us safe and most importantly, protect our liberty. That’s what we’re meant to be! We’re meant to have control of everything we do in our lives without having to worry about the government making the decisions for us. We are supposed to have freedom to do what we’d like as long as it doesn’t effect anyone else’s liberty. That is what Liberty is. That is what we are striving for now. Let us bring back what we were at the beginning and what we are meant to be now. 

Publius