Free Republic

On this day in 1775, King George III speaks before both houses of the British Parliament to discuss growing concern about the rebellion in America, which he viewed as a traitorous action against himself and Great Britain. He began his speech by reading a “Proclamation of Rebellion” and urged Parliament to move quickly to end the revolt and bring order to the colonies. The king spoke of his belief that “many of these unhappy people may still retain their loyalty, and may be too wise not to see the fatal consequence of this usurpation, and wish to resist it, yet...

O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and...

Reflections on one of America’s first presidents on the anniversary of his birth… When Elias Boudinot IV signed onto the Treaty of Paris in 1783, in his capacity as President of the Confederation Congress, ending the War of Independence after eight long years, he did so not as a distant politician, but as one who had been in the thick of it from the beginning. As a respected attorney, politician, and member of the establishment, Elias Boudinot was hardly anyone’s mental image of a rebel leader... but then, one could say that of so many of our Founding Fathers. Boudinot...

•President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vt., on July 4, 1872. He is the only president born on July 4; however, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July. •One lucky Philadelphian purchased a $4 picture at a flea market. Behind the picture was an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was sold to TV producer Norman Lear for $8.1 million. •After the war, King George III rationalized that Washington would become a dictator and make the Americans yearn for royal rule. When he was told that Washington planned to...

The obvious lesson: never throw anything away Once in a very long while, a rare book or manuscript discovery is so remarkable that it makes national headlines. In 1988, for instance, an anonymous Massachusetts collector recovered an 1827 first edition of Edgar Allan Poe's Tamerlane from a roadside barn. Many will also recall the 1989 story of the man who found an original broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence hidden inside a picture frame that he bought at a Pennsylvania flea market for $4 (and later sold at Sotheby's for $2.4 million). Or the discovery of the manuscript of...

Ben Franklin is the prototype for the celebrity-as-politician. His autobiography is still in print; if he were alive, he’d be on Drudge’s columnists’ list, and command speaking fees that would turn Hillary Clinton green with envy. A popular T-shirt has a quote erroneously attributed to Franklin: ‘Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.’ But John Witherspoon? He wasn’t a fan of self-promotion, which was no less prevalent then. Today, in D.C., his statue stands at a tiny triangle where Connecticut Avenue intersects with N Street and 18th Street N.W. It is routinely ignored. At...

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, 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 mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation....

With the Delaware delegation deadlocked on the question of approving the Declaration of Independence in the Continental Congress, Caesar Rodney rode 70 miles in a thunderstorm the night of July 1, 1776 to arrive in Philadelphia as the vote for independence began the next morning. Rodney cast the deciding vote for Delaware in favor of independence, and would eventually sign the Declaration on August 2, 1776. Rodney's ride is depicted on the back of the Delaware quarter, issued in 1999.

On this date in 1777, the Second Continental Congress authorized the new American flag of 13 stars and stripes, and is now known as Flag Day in the United States. Today also marks the official birthday of the United States Army in 1775, following John Adams' proposal for the formation of a Continental Army a few days before. Today we honor the men and women who have served our country.

Today was one of the most pivotal dates in American history in 1776, when Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee put forth a motion to the Second Continental Congress, in part: "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." Lee's resolution was debated and eventually led to the approval and signing of the Declaration of Independence a few weeks later. Lee himself...

Today is the birthdate of John Hancock, patriot and statesman, who was president of the Continental Congress at the time of the passage of the Declaration of Independence and the first to sign (boldly) the Declaration, and later governor of Massachusetts. "There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!" -Hancock, following his signing of the Declaration of Independence

WASHINGTON, July 4, 2013 ― Is there more than a passing connection between former 60’s radical turned respected Chicagoan Bill Ayers and President Barack Obama? Do we really care anymore? The question of just how well Chicagoans Barack Obama and Bill Ayers actually knew each other is one that does not seem to rest. Ayers is now a retired professor of education at the University of Illinois-Chicago. In the 1960s he co-founded the anti-Vietnam War Weather Underground group that bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon and other buildings, creating fear through radical domestic terrorism. Read more: http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/freedom-press-not-free/2013/jul/4/host-senator-obama-4th-july-bbq-ayers-speaks-out-r/#ixzz2YH2kaZj2

On the night of July 1, 1776, after a steamy heat-and-storm-laden day, the Continental Congress took a break from debating declaring independence from Britain. Nine colonies, a majority, voted for independence, but there was a desperate need for a unanimous vote. That night, came the dreadful news of 100 British warships off the shores of New York City. The final vote came the next day, on July 2nd. New York abstained (and we thank them). John Dickinson of the divided Philadelphia delegation was absent. We thank him too. This has been my traditional Independence Day post for several years now. Taken...

...All of that human and financial capital expended for CCongress 2009 - two weeks at a hotel, live video feeds, etc. - focused on a handful of issues like gun control; income tax; and the federal reserve system which, when distilled, amount to little more than a reassertion of states' rights over federal authority. And Robert Schulz, Founder and Chairman of the "We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education," who conceived and spearheaded the drive for a CCongress 2009, has been actively pursuing strategies to publicize these issues for more than 15 (fifteen) years. With this one exception. The mission...

In American history, the Continental Congress was the means by which our Founding Fathers formally reacted to the abuses of power they endured under their British sovereigns. Before American independence was declared, it was through Continental Congress that the need was determined. Two-hundred and thirty-five years later, a coalition of liberty groups is resurrecting this historic forum to challenge the ever-expanding authority of the same federal government their forebears went on to create. In a video proclaiming their intentions, a representative cites the Constitution’s provision for citizens to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The “servant government” is...

"Let me get this straight, Gen. Washington: You want us, the representatives of the Second Continental Congress, to fund a sneak attack on British troops starting on Christmas?" "That is correct, sir. After we declared our independence from King George, he was most unhappy. He ordered his army to attack us. The Brits have made tremendous gains on our homeland." "Gains, Washington?" "Sir, whereas our Continental Army is something of a motley crew, the Brits are well-trained and well-funded. Their forces include Hessian mercenaries, professional fighters who are most skilled at the art of war." "Your point, Washington?" "The Brits...

I watch in amazement, as Liberals in America once again call upon our government to “pull-out” of Iraq, leaving the Iraqi people to fend off terrorists on their own and I can’t help but notice the hypocrisy and ignorance of history in their chant… I thought liberals were the kinder, gentler Americans, always concerned with standing up for the down-trodden, looking after those in the world who are unable to care for or defend themselves? It appears their humanitarian zeal includes whales and seals, but not the people of Iraq… Though seemingly appalled at the abusive acts of a few...