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  • Leaders are Readers

    Leaders are Readers

    “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”

    ― Harry S. Truman

    True leaders have a thirst for knowledge and understanding. Their ability to understand situations and people allows them to lead wisely. Knowledge leaves individuals unsatisfied with status quo and with average thinking and action. Understanding allows leaders to use the knowledge they have gained, effectively.

    Thomas Jefferson, Letter to P. S. du Pont de Nemours, April 24, 1816:

    “Enlighten the people generally, and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of the day.”

    The Law – Frederick Bastiat:

    “Fundamental knowledge can be used broadly by understanding concepts. Understanding the concepts that guide good government can allow us to make wise decisions on specific or technical matters that we are not well-versed in. Citizens can, and must, hold their public functionaries accountable for their actions, and advise them on what actions they should be taking.”

    Benjamin Rush, Essay, 1786:

    “It is favourable to liberty. Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal.”

    Each of us can determine to advance our knowledge and understanding by taking advantage of the many opportunities to read. In this day and age, even those who don’t care to read can listen to books in audio formats. Everyone can advance their understanding of interests they have through books, audios, videos, classes, and discussions.

    American Patriots will always have an interest in our freedoms and the foundations that built it. With the many sources available, we hope that all will continue to learn.

    Samuel Adams, letter to James Warren, February 12, 1779:

    “If Virtue & Knowledge are diffused among the People, they will never be enslav’d. This will be their great Security.”

    Thomas Jefferson, Letter to William C. Jarvis, 1820

    “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, (A)nd if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power.”

    Justin Magill

  • Preparing for the 2025 Election Cycle

    Preparing for the 2025 Election Cycle

    Off Year Elections and Party Building

    “Off” year elections provide opportunities for the Constitution Party to gain local offices and to focus on building County Committees. Local races are often easier to win, and in some cases, no one else is even running for those offices.

    This is the season for building the local Constitution Party. States have the opportunity to build momentum in localized areas that will later impact larger races. In one Pennsylvania School District, the Constitution Party of Pennsylvania has taken first one seat then two, and this year three more candidates are running. The impact of having Constitution Party members on the School Board has already been felt in the shift in focus away from Progressive indoctrination and back towards quality education; but if these three candidates win, the School Board will have a Constitution Party majority and will be able repel all Progressive agendas and show the community what the fundamental principles of the CP can do for them.

    States also have the ability to let more people know that we are an option without breaking the bank on advertising. Local races provide more person-to-person contacts and candidates can meet every voter in their district. Local CP organizations can also work on voter registration drives and educational classes and host less formal fundraisers.

    But, even in States that have no 2025 elections, “off” years do not mean the CP is sitting around not doing anything. Local CP organizations are hard at work scouting for candidates for the 2026 election cycle and are identifying and training new county and local leaders to expand our effectiveness. Some States are hard at work gathering signatures to gain ballot access for future races, giving CP members better representation at all levels.

    Supporters, Voters, Leaders, & Patriots have many opportunities right now to make major differences right where they are at! Will you join the fight?

    Justin Magill

  • Civil Disobedience: The American Way

    Civil Disobedience: The American Way

    Karen Murray, State Chairman, Alaska Constitution Party

    “Not to Speak is to Speak. Not to Act is to Act.  To do nothing when a house is burning is to do something — it is to let the house burn. To say nothing when a country is burning is to do something — it is to let the country burn.” 1  

    One of the greatest tragedies of 21st Century America is its lack of education in regard to American history, literature, political philosophy and religious thought. We are drowning in mega-terabytes of information on a daily basis, yet we seem to be more confused and chaotic in our thinking than ever before. More information does not equate to more education. The type of information presented is more important than the amount of information. One of those missing pieces is the lack of knowledge on how to use logic, reasoning, and debate on issues about which we might disagree. As a people, we are becoming increasingly reactionary rather than taking well-thought-out action towards fixing whatever the problem may be. Our conversations often turn into confrontations, bullying, and violence, with no real solutions achieved. When political decisions are made which are in opposition to the founding principles of the Republic, those which violate the Constitution and the Bill of Rights; when the representatives of the people are only representing themselves or their financial backers, many people feel that there is no way to repair the damage, except through violence.  It’s time to re-educate our people on the art of Civil Disobedience.

     What is Civil Disobedience?

    Civil Disobedience is peaceful action by a citizen or group of citizens against a law, policy or regulation established by a governing authority.

    The first American example of Civil Disobedience was in response to the Quartering Act of 1756. As more British troops arrived in America during the French and Indian War, Parliament decided that the colonies should feed, clothe, house, and provide transportation for them. New York decided that it would not support such a mandate. The state assembly felt that the act of implementing it would send a message to Parliament that they supported the law. Instead, the act of non-compliance sent a stronger message that the colony did not recognize the authority of the state to impose such a mandate. They were later censured for this in one of the Townshend Acts.

    Henry David Thoreau, an American transcendentalist author/philosopher who lived in the 19th century wrote an essay called “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”.  Thoreau was concerned about a lot of government overreach in his day, but specifically slavery and the Mexican American War.  It is an enlightening work, surprising in its application to the situation Americans find themselves in today, and I highly recommend reading it.

    Another source for parts of this article is “Civil Disobedience: A Constitutional Alternative to Justice” by Samuel H.J. Shultz.2

    Rules of Civil Disobedience 

    Rule #1:  There must be an official government law, policy, regulation, etc. in place. 

    Rule #2:  That law, policy, regulation, etc. must be deemed to be Unjust. A good example of the concept of what is Unjust comes from the ancient Brehon Laws of Ireland.  A flax farmer’s field was adjacent to a sheep herder’s pasture.  One day the sheep escaped into the farmer’s field and devoured the flax.  This destroyed the farmer’s income for an entire year, until another crop could be raised.  The farmer sought compensation by bringing his case before the local Brehon (judge).  The Brehon ruled that because the flax had been destroyed, all the sheep must be destroyed.  Case closed.  A young boy about 14 years of age shouted, “This is an Unjust judgement!”  In those times anyone could challenge a case in this manner and of any age, so the boy was asked to prove his statement.  He explained that the flax could grow back the following year, but the sheep would not.  A Just decision would be to simply order that the sheep be sheared, and the fleece given to the farmer to compensate for the loss of his crop.

    Rule #3:  All appeals to common sense and calls to reverse the government act in question have been ignored or punished by public officials. A good example of this is found in very recent events in America.  Mask mandates and vaccine mandates are both examples of unjust government actions, which spawned spontaneous acts of Civil Disobedience by individual citizens across the country.

    Rule #4:  The word “civil” has two meanings when applied to the term Civil Disobedience.  It refers to government authority, but it also applies to peaceful and logical conduct. Although Civil Disobedience has been practiced in various forms throughout history, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and the 1960’s as well as the American Indian Movement of the 1970’s are two examples many of us remember still.  Violence eventually erupted in both these movements and the reasons are varied and complicated.  Yet both began as powerful examples of Civil Disobedience).  Will the future look back upon the battle to re-establish America’s Constitutional Republic as a beacon of light in a dark world?  Only time will tell.

    Consequences

    There are always natural and unnatural consequences for any choice we make. Newton’s Third Law of Motion applies here in more ways than one: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” 

    If you choose to practice Civil Disobedience, you can expect some sort of reaction from those who would be tyrannical.

    There are an endless number of government acts which need to be overcome by exercising this Duty of American citizenship, indeed it can be said to be a Duty of all humans – to defeat tyranny through peaceful and lawful means.

    1. Roger K. Hudnut, 1971; A Sensitive Man and the Christ, page 21.
      ↩︎
    2. Schultz, Samuel H.J. (2019) “Civil Disobedience: A Constitutional Alternative to Injustice,” Mitchell Hamline Law Review: Vol. 45: Iss. 2, Article 9. Available at: https://open.mitchellhamline.edu/mhlr/vol45/iss2/9 ↩︎
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  • Why Is private property so important?

    Why Is private property so important?

    What is it about Private Property?

    Tom DeWeese will be one of our featured speakers at the Constitution Party’s 2025 fall National Committee Meeting in Sparks, Nevada October 17-18. We will be sending out several emails from Mr. DeWeese, to provide our subscribers with some background for the topic he will be discussing with us at the NCM. You can watch the three-and-a-half-minute video from Mr. DeWeese linked below or read the rest of the email for the information provided in the video.

    Most Americans today tend to think of private property simply as a home – the place where the family resides, store their belongings, and find shelter and safety from the elements. It’s where you live. It’s yours because you pay the mortgage and the taxes. Most people don’t give property ownership much more thought than that.

    But there was a time when property ownership was considered to be much more. Property, and the ability to own and control it, was life itself.

    The great economist John Locke, whose writings and ideas had a major influence on our nation’s founders, believed that “life and liberty are secure only so long as the right of property is secure.”

    John Locke advocated that if property rights did not exist, then the incentive to develop and improve property would be destroyed;

    Private property ownership, Locke argued, brought stability and wealth to individuals, leading to a prosperous society of man.

    From the very beginning, the United States was guided by the idea of private property ownership. It was written into our governing documents. Property and freedom – one cannot live without the other.

    John Adams argued, “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”

    In today’s America, private property is quickly being destroyed across the nation, and note the growing lawlessness. The fear of climate change has become the excuse for government to dictate how every strip of land will be used.

    Have you ever wondered why these green forces focus so hard on the environment?

    That’s because the environment does not recognize political boundaries. The environment crosses rivers, fields, and mountains, all of which cross over national borders, state borders, county borders, city borders, and the boundary lines of your yard!

    That fact has given massive new power to those forces that seek to change our way of life and system of government.

    If you are determined to protect private property rights, then you need to start with a good definition of what private property is. Too many people think it just means a place where you pay to store your stuff.

    Here is a definition that was written by a Washington State Supreme Court Justice – Richard B. Sanders:

    “Property in a thing consists not merely of its ownership and possession, but in the unrestricted right of use, enjoyment, and disposal. Anything which destroys any of the elements of property to that extent, destroys the property itself. The substantial value of property lies in its use. If the right of use be denied, the value of the property is annihilated, and ownership is rendered a barren right.”

    We keep trying to defend liberty. Today, we need to take the offense. I think we can do that by taking that definition of private property as our banner and start demanding our rights.

    Tom DeWeese,
    President
    American Policy Center
    https://americanpolicy.org/

    Tom DeWeese is one of the nation’s leading advocates of individual liberty, free enterprise, private property rights, personal privacy, back-to-basics education and American sovereignty and independence. Today he serves as Founder and President of the American Policy Center.

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    Why Is private property so important? – Constitution Party

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  • new declaration of independence

    new declaration of independence

    The Founders of America declared their Independence from the tyranny that had
    increasingly oppressed them. They declared themselves and their posterity separate from and free from the tyrants who were abusing their individual rights. They fought a defensive war against their mother country which had attacked them with oppressive taxes, abuses in the courts, the military, and even mercenaries.

    Today, we face ever increasing tyranny and abuse from our Public Functionaries. Those we put in positions to secure our individual rights have betrayed us and violate their oaths of office.

    They have attacked our individual rights and have prostituted us for their own ambitions for popularity, power, and wealth. They have done what they were given
    the authority to prevent and we are left with the knowledge that we are funding and
    promoting our own oppression.

    It is time for American Citizens to wake up and take responsibility for their own
    governance and get their public functionaries back in line. It is time for a return to
    limited government!

    From the Constitution Party, July 4, 2025

    A Declaration of the Rights of American Citizens, When in the Course of human events,
    it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have
    connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the
    separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle
    them, a decent respect to the opinions of the Citizens of America requires that they
    should declare the causes which cause them to declare their Public Functionaries to be
    traitors who have violated their oath of office and disregarded the Constitution.

    We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equally free and
    independent, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that
    among these are Life, Liberty and the right to own and use Private Property.–That to
    secure these individual rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
    just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Public Functionary
    becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to correct them, and to
    return Government to its limited form. Prudence will dictate that long established
    traditions should not be changed for light and passing causes; and accordingly, all

    experience hath shown, that mankind is more disposed to suffer, while evil is sufferable,
    than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But
    when a long train of abuses and violations, following invariably the same Object,
    demonstrates a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is
    their duty, to throw off such Public Functionaries, and to return to the Guards for their
    future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of We the People; and such is
    now the necessity which constrains them to alter their current Systems of Government
    and return to the limited government we previously had. The history of the present
    Oligarchy is a history of repeated injuries and violations, all having the direct purpose of
    establishing an absolute Tyranny over the People. To prove this, let Facts be submitted
    to a candid People.

    They have created a wall of bureaucracy and agencies to insulate them from
    accountability.

    They have erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent swarms of Officers to harass
    our people, and take their private property.

    They have refused to pass laws submitted to them, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

    They have treated some individuals and groups like second-class citizens, violating their Rights for the preferential treatment or benefit of other individuals or groups.

    They have used the IRS and Law Enforcement agencies to target and harass those who have questioned or resisted them.

    They have repeatedly prevented and persecuted Citizens for speaking out at public
    meetings, Citizens who have opposed with firmness the invasions on the rights of the
    people.

    They have made Judges through bureaucracies who are dependent on their Will alone,
    for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries, and have
    directed abuse of justice by their judges.

    They have repeatedly ignored due process and, without warrants, searched private
    property and records, taken private property, and imprisoned individuals indefinitely.

    They have raised and kept among us, Standing Armies of alphabet agencies and
    bureaucrats to rule in the place of the limited legislature, executive, and judiciary
    branches of the Constitution.

    They have combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our
    constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving their Ascent to their Acts of
    pretended laws:

    They have bought our schools and indoctrinate our children into their service:

    They have used the guise of environmental protection to steal our private property and
    confiscate our assets.

    For protecting their bureaucrats, by a mock Trial or no trial, from punishment for any
    abuses which they have committed on the Citizens of these States:

    For creating and facilitating conflicts in foreign lands for their own profits:

    For wasting our sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers, lives and
    wellbeing and the meager resources of our Citizens, for their wars and conflicts:

    For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent, to pay for unconstitutional expenditures:

    For abusing us with the unfettered tax of inflating away our incomes and savings
    through fiat currency and crushing debt:

    For preventing us from using sound money, silver and gold, for currency:

    For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

    For taking away our Constitutions, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering
    fundamentally the Forms of our Governments through their judges:

    For buying our own Legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to
    legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

    They have abdicated the right to govern here, by declaring us out of their Protection and waging War against us.

    They have incited domestic insurrections amongst us and have endeavored to bring on
    the daily destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

    In every stage of these Oppressions, We have Petitioned for Redress in the humblest
    terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Public
    Functionary, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is
    unfit to be the representative of a free People.

    Nor have We been lacking in thoughts of our American brethren. We have warned them
    from time to time of attempts by their government to extend an unwarrantable
    jurisdiction over us. We have invoked them by the ties of our common kindred to
    disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably disrupt our connections,
    communication, and our unity. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of
    kinship. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our
    Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace
    Friends.

    We, therefore, the Constitution Party, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for
    the correctness of our intentions, do, in the Name of the Citizens of America, solemnly
    publish and declare, That We the People are, and of Right ought to be Free and
    Independent; that We are Absolved from all Allegiance to the Oligarchy, and that all
    political connection between us and the Oligarchy, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
    and that as Free and Independent Citizens of America, We have full Power and Right to
    do all other Acts and Things which Free Citizens may of right do. We invoke the return to the Constitution and to a limited government that will secure our inalienable Rights.

    We demand that our States get their creation, the U.S. government, back under control. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

  • the lee resolutions and the vote for independence from britain

    the lee resolutions and the vote for independence from britain

    Road to Independence Dateline: 7 June 1776

    The decision to separate from Britain was a difficult one for young America to make. The long train of abuses and the increasingly oppressive measure from England on one side had to be balanced with the idea of breaking from a much loved mother country that could crush them in a war and leave them in a worse position. Many members of the Continental Congress were unsure about taking such a drastic move. 

    When Richard Henry Lee introduced his resolution on June 7th stating that “that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states,” there lacked the votes to approve the resolution. Over the month of June, some delegates sought instructions from their States giving them the right to approve the resolution. Some States were divided with some delegates for and some against. By the 2nd of July a compromise was reach to provide for the passage of the Lee resolution. Some delegates who were against it, were absent for the vote allowing their State to vote in favor of it. New York’s delegates abstained from the vote (because they did not feel they could vote in favor of it in the absence of clear direction from their State) allowing the “unanimous” vote required to pass the resolution.

    The Continental Congress had, in anticipation of passing Lee’s resolution, appointed a committee of five to draft the formal declaration to England. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote the first draft of the declaration which was then edited by and with the help of the committee ( John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York). The final draft was presented to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. Upon the passing of the Lee resolution, the Congress took up the draft of the declaration and the debates and editing lasted until the 4th of July. 

    On July 4, 1776, The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America, was adopted by the Second Continental Congress.

    JOIN THE FIGHT

    SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF LIBERTY

    Read the whole story at these links:

    How Did It Happen

    Massachusetts History DB

    Drafts of the Declaration of Independence

  • Battles of Lexington and Concord

    Battles of Lexington and Concord

    For over a decade the city of Boston had been in a political battle with the crown. First they had defied the many tax acts that had been passed against them and other colonies, then Bostonian men had provoked British troops to fire into a crowd which became known as the Boston Massacre, next had come the Boston Tea Party which had seen Bostonians dress as American Indians, seize ships laden with East India Tea, and dump it into the Harbor. After that last event, King George III and Parliament had had enough with Boston. They shut down the harbor, demanded that Boston pay back the dumped tea, and declared Boston to be in a state of rebellion which saw the landing of British troops in the city.

    Joseph Warren, a doctor and member of the secret Sons of Liberty, learned from his network of informants that the British planned on marching to Concord to seize munitions, arms, and cannon that the Sons of Liberty had been gathering there. On the night of April 18th, he dispatched two men to ride to Concord and warn the Sons of Liberty of the coming British troops so they could remove the arms and ammunition from the town.

    Paul Revere and William Dawes snuck out of Boston and waited for the signal that was to come from the Old North Church: one light if the British were to move by land and two if they were to move by sea. When the two lanterns were put up, Revere and Dawes from two separate locations set out post haste for Lexington to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock to leave for safety. While Revere and Dawes never made it to Concord, Samuel Prescott, whom they shared the British plans with, did.

    On the morning of April 19th, Lt. Col. Francis Smith and his 700 troops arrived in Lexington to find 77 militiamen armed and blocking the British forces path. After ordering the militia to disperse, and them refusing, a shot rang out (no one knows from which side) and the British forces answered with several volleys leaving eight militiamen dead and 9 wounded while only suffering one casualty.

    Smith then proceeded to Concord, where he found very few arms and munitions but turned them anyway. Unfortunately, the fire got out of hand and spread to other homes and buildings lighting the on fire. While the inferno was raging, hundreds of militiamen that had been gathering outside of Concord decided to advance on the British in thinking the town had been put to the fire on purpose. When they reached the North Bridge, a British guard fired into the oncoming militia, but this time the militia didn’t scatter and instead returned fire with a volley of their own.

    The British then started a long march back to Boston not realizing that the numbers of militia were growing. At first the militia followed the British, but soon, they started firing at the British from behind trees and fences. British soldiers began to panic dropping military equipment to retreat from the angry militiamen quicker. And even though a whole brigade of British troops came to reinforce the fleeing column the militiamen continued to press the attack until the British crossed back into Boston.

    250 years ago today, what became known as “The Shot Heard Round the World” kicked off a war that lasted 8 years, saw a colony declare Independence from England, and saw that independent colony become a powerful nation. Let us not just celebrate the start of that road that led to Independence but remember the more than 50 men who died that day never to see what their courage produced after their ultimate sacrifice.

    Joseph RardinVisit Joseph on

    at “Make American History Great Again” for more great stories and interesting facts.

  • the first major battle of the american revolution

    the first major battle of the american revolution

    Road to Independence Dateline: 17June 1775, Boston, Massachusetts

    The British troops in Boston are surrounded by the colonial militia which would become the continental army. The British plans to break out of Boston were found out by the American leaders. The colonials pushed in towards Boston and in one night reinforced Breeds Hill. General Gage knew he must act quickly and he prepares his generals for an attack on the redoubt on Breeds Hill. The British Generals expected little resistance from the colonials, expecting them to turn and run when attacked.

    The colonists, however, proved to be more determined and better led than had been anticipated. The famed order, “Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes”, indicates the directions given by the colonial leaders to allow the British troops to get close before firing, thereby increasing the effectiveness of their fire. The colonists demonstrated great courage in allowing these trained soldiers to march up close before engaging, and by staying in the fight until the ammunition began giving out. The Americans fought hand-to-hand at the end and faced the enemy up close and personal.

    The battle was a victory for the British, in that they drove the colonists back, but the British suffered more than twice the number of losses. This David versus Goliath story emboldened the colonies in their struggle for freedom and individual rights. A couple short weeks later, George Washington assumed control of the military and began the Revolutionary War in earnest. There was no turning back at that point.

    JOIN THE FIGHT

    SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF LIBERTY

    Link to the Story of the Battle of Bunker Hill

  • The continental army gets organized

    The continental army gets organized

    Road to Independence Dateline: 17 June 1775, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    George Washington was chosen this day to lead the Continental forces against the British.

    Washington’s selection as the Commander & Chief was not a foregone conclusion and there were several others who expected to receive the appointment. However, George Washington’s nomination was unanimously approved by the Continental Congress. A sum of $500 per month was established to pay the Commander & Chief, but Washington refused pay, asking only that his expenses be reimbursed.

    Washington did not seek this position, but he was one of the few men suited for this position; both in military experience and in his place and position as a wealthy Virginia leader. His selection to lead the colonial army, let everyone know that the colonies were behind Massachusetts in its struggle with the king. His steady leadership through the war brought about the impossible victory over the world’s greatest military of the time.

    George Washington received his commission as General and Commander and Chief on June 19, 1775, and resigned it on December 23, 1783 after the war. His willingness to resign from such a powerful position has resonated with Americans for generations.

    See the words of the commission below from the American Battlefield Trust.

    The Continental Congress appoints George Washington as Commander and Chief of the Continental Army:

    Members of Congress convened: 

    The delegates of the United Colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Castle Kent and Sussex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina

    To George Washington Esquire

    We reposing especial trust and confidence in your patriotism, conduct and fidelity Do by these presents constitute and appoint you to be General and Commander in chief of the army of the United Colonies and of all the forces raised or to be raised by them and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their service and join the said army for the defence of American Liberty and for repelling every hostile invasion thereof And you are hereby vested with full power and authority to act as you shall think for the good and Welfare of the service.

    And we do hereby strictly charge and require all officers and soldiers under your command to be obedient to your orders & diligent in the exercise of their several dut⟨ies.⟩ And we do also enjoin and require you to be careful in executing the great trust reposed in you, by causing strict discipline and order to be observed in th⟨e⟩ army and that the soldiers are duly exercised an⟨d⟩ provided with all convenient necessaries.

    And you are to regulate your conduct in every respect by the rules and discipline of war (as herewith given you) and punctually to observe and foll⟨ow⟩ such orders and directions from time to time as you shall receive from this or a future Congress of the said United Colonies or a committee of Congress for that purpose appointed.

    This Commission to continue in force until revoked by this or a future Congress.

    By order of the Congress,

    John Hancock, President

    JOIN THE FIGHT

    SUPPORT THE RESTORATION OF LIBERTY

    Learn more: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/primary-sources/washingtons-commission

  • Let Them Call Me Rebel

    Let Them Call Me Rebel

    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: It is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

    Thomas Paine -The American Crisis

    2026 is the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and some of the many events leading to it.

    Our new website will be launching on July 4th of this year, and it will launch a yearlong focus on what brought Americans to the point of Declaring Independence from Britain. Be on the lookout for the new site with new interactive ways to see our history and to involve others in our fight to revive America!

    In honor of the Anniversary year, we are launching a fund drive of $17.76. Our goal is to give everyone the opportunity to participate in fighting for our freedom. We are asking for donations of $17.76. It can be a one-time donation, or it can be a monthly reoccurring donation. You can also donate $1776.00 if you want, but we are really looking for as many people to participate as we can possibly reach. You can donate to any specific category you wish or just donate to the general fund.

    This is a great opportunity for you to have a conversation with family, friends, or coworkers about our freedoms and the price of saving them.  

    It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority,  keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.

    Samuel Adams

    THESE are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

    Thomas Paine THE AMERICAN CRISIS, No. 1, 1776

    Dec. 19, 1776: Published as a pamphlet in Philadelphia.

    Dec. 24, 1776: Read to Washington’s troops before the crossing of the Delaware River and victory in the Battle of Trenton.

    Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, #1, December 1776

    Let them call me rebel, and welcome, I feel no concern from it.

    Thomas Paine