Dave’s Corner

This is the first in an occasional series of articles by Mr. Dave Goodrich, one of the Directors on our Board.

Welcome to Revere’s Riders. If this is your first time here you are probably wondering who we are, if not, you may still find my ramblings interesting if not informative.

So who are Revere’s Riders? We are your neighbors, your coworkers, the people you pass on the street everyday. We come from all walks of life and every corner of this country. We all share a love of Liberty and a desire to see the goals the founders of this great nation envisioned brought to life. When we say founders, we do not just think of men with names like John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin. We think of people like Issac Davis, Prudence Cummings Wright, Doctor Joseph Warren, and thousands others that history has forgotten.

Our country was born from the desires of everyday people like you and I, people who wanted to secure a future free of limits on Liberty.  A future where every person could pursue their dreams without regard for social status or birthright. It was a vision that was mocked and derided in Europe during the 18th century, that vision of a country governed by common people.

We share their vision. A vision of a better world for our children, a vision of a country that our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, can shape as their conscience tells them it should be. Without restraint from those who would control and consume. We see a future generation who understands the ideals this country was founded on, and who know the sacrifices made to bring it to life.

So what exactly are we talking about? What was the vision of the founders, those common people of America, before we were a country? What was their idea of Liberty?

Let me tease you with a small example.

It was apparent that the population wanted more Freedom than the crown would tolerate. A minor incident was recorded that winter (1774) that clearly showed how deeply ingrained the idea of Freedom was within the population of America.

A group of Boston children believed that they had the right to to take their protests directly to the highest authorities. They complained in person to General Gage (military governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay) that the soldiers were kicking down their snow forts. While is was a minor event all things considered, it was still very clear to General Gage that the idea of Liberty was not just in the minds of the radicals, but it had permeated into the very core of what would be the future—the children. [sic]

Afterwards, Gage is reputed to have said “… the very children here draw in a love of Liberty with the air that they breath.”
from The Revolutionary War—Founding the New Nation, pg 18

Join me over the next few weeks as I explain more of what our founders really saw in the idea of a Republic governed by the people, and how we plan to help that vision live again.

Editor’s Note:  Some additional information on a similar historical anecdote can be found here.