Subject: The Price Of Freedom
In many parts of the country... it's hot. In fact, it's more than
hot...
it's sweltering. Yet, despite the heat and the generally somber
mood of the
country, there were 4th of July celebrations all across this
country. Its a
day of flag waving, barbeques, family gatherings, street parades,
and picnic
lunches. Each of them will commemorate the founding of this
country, and
each will remember the sacrifice of those brave patriots and every
solder
that has come after them who has fought for liberty and freedom.
However, ten years before America actually declared her
independence,
revolution had begun. And that revolution began under a
100-year-old elm
tree in Boston, when on September 10, 1765, a copper plate with
large gold
letters was hung in its branches, declaring the tree "The
Tree of Liberty."
To understand the inscription, we need to realize what was
happening at the
time. The British had accumulated a massive war debt during the
French and
Indian War and they needed a way to pay it off. Much like today,
the first
and most obvious means of raising revenue was through a tax. And
on March
22, 1765, the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament.
This tax had an effect the British were NOT expecting... it
enraged the
colonists like no other tax had up to that point.
You see, the Stamp Act required a tax be paid on ALL documents:
legal
documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets,
and even
playing cards! The colonists viewed the tax not only as an onerous
financial
burden, but as a form of censorship since it would limit the
colonists'
ability to read and write freely.
The colonists' anger would not be abated, and one hot summer day,
August
14th, 1765, a crowd gathered around this large elm tree in Boston
to protest
this onerous tax. In the tree they hung an effigy of Andrew
Oliver, the man
charged with collecting the Stamp Tax. There was also a British
cavalry
jackboot hanging from the branches. An imp-like devil poked its
head out of
the boot. In its hands was a scroll that said "Stamp
Tax."
This was the first blatant act of defiance against the British
Empire. This
is why the great elm tree became known as "The Tree of
Liberty." And this
was just the beginning! As 1766 rolled around, the tree became a
rallying
point for the Sons of Liberty, men who were to become the leaders
and
champions of the forthcoming American Revolution.
Even after the Stamp Act was repealed, the revolutionary movement
continued
to gather steam. And with the siege of Boston, the first phase of
the
American Revolution began. British Loyalists cut down the Tree of
Liberty in
a spiteful act of retaliation against the liberty-minded
colonists. But the
memories and values that tree represented continued to live on in
the hearts
of the colonists. Soon flags began to appear with the Liberty Tree
image
emblazoned on them and were flown in many battles during the
Revolutionary
War.
And yet, for all that the Liberty Tree stood for, few Americans
today know
about this important chapter in American history. We have lost our
way...
we have forgotten where we came from. Our national memory of these
events
have been all but left in the dustbin of history. Children today
can't even
tell us who the Founding Fathers were. They can't tell us why this
great
experiment in liberty was even begun. And they don't understand
the basis of
what Americans have inherently believed through the years and why.
Perhaps this is why Thomas Jefferson cautioned:
"Yes, we did produce a near perfect Republic, but will they
keep it? Or will
they in their enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of their
freedom?
Material abundance without character is the surest way to
destruction. I
tremble for my country when I realize that God is just."
Look around you. What we have today is exactly what Jefferson
described:
"Material abundance without character." And that lack of
character brings us
lack of morals and integrity in the political process, with
elected
officials who are more worried about the money they can squirrel
away in
their freezers and offshore accounts than they are about keeping
the
Republic. We live in a time when avarice and illusions of power
compel men
and women to enslave their constituents in onerous tax burdens and
to
deprive them of their inherent rights under God.
We need to remember. We need to remember how our liberty was won.
We need to
remember the virtues of faith, love, and self-discipline. We need
to
remember the values and morals that made this country great.
FREE MEN BEAR ARMS. THE TREE OF LIBERTY WAITS.
