As we celebrate the freedom of our country, let us never forget that freedom is never free. And we have the responsibility to fight for that freedom just as our founding fathers fought and died for it. We thank those who have served our country in it’s military defense, and we thank those who have defended freedom while in public office, and lastly we thank those parents who have taught their children the importance of defending freedom.
President Ronald Reagan addressed this subject very eloquently in a speech in 1961:
Transcription:
“Our Founding Fathers, here in this country, brought about the only true revolution that has ever taken place in man’s history.
Every other revolution simply exchanged one set of rulers for another set of rulers. But only here did that little band of men so advanced beyond their time that the world has never seen their like since, evolve the idea that you and I have within ourselves the God-given right and the ability to determine our own destiny.
But freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream.
The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well thought lessons of how they in their lifetime must do the same.
And if you and I don’t do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it once was like in America when men were free.”