"Live free or Die" - John Stark famously said these words in a letter for a toast in 1809 for a commemoration for the Battle of Bennington. We still honor the memory of John Stark. Why? Because, through rituals of remembrance, we define ourselves as a nation. For the United States is unique among the nations of the world. As historian Gordon Wood has stated, unlike other nations, we are not defined by ethnicity, not defined by a single religion, not defined as a tribe or tribal territory. John Starks life and times should remind us that we are a nation defined by a few simple, yet profound ideas - natural rights, equality, individual liberty, self governance, rule of law, and as Lincoln put it, government of the people, by the people and for the people. In this modern day and age there are all kinds of ideas out there, but this sentiment remains and is what I think America is all about."
QTR #3
QTR #3
QTR #3
"Live free or Die" - John Stark famously said these words in a letter for a toast in 1809 for a commemoration for the Battle of Bennington. We still honor the memory of John Stark. Why? Because, through rituals of remembrance, we define ourselves as a nation. For the United States is unique among the nations of the world. As historian Gordon Wood has stated, unlike other nations, we are not defined by ethnicity, not defined by a single religion, not defined as a tribe or tribal territory. John Starks life and times should remind us that we are a nation defined by a few simple, yet profound ideas - natural rights, equality, individual liberty, self governance, rule of law, and as Lincoln put it, government of the people, by the people and for the people. In this modern day and age there are all kinds of ideas out there, but this sentiment remains and is what I think America is all about."