As the father of America's Navy, a staunch opponent of the slave trade, and an avid patriot, John Paul Jones would certainly have been disgusted by the bloated and devious federal government we have today.
Like many of America's patriots, John Paul was not born into his fame. In fact, he wasn't even born in America. Scotland was his birthplace, and his father was a gardener. John Paul, however, found his calling at sea, and became a ship's apprentice at the ripe old age of 13.
After many years and adventures on deck, John Paul was forced to kill a mutinous sailor in self-defense, and fearing an unfair trial, he fled to America, changing his last name to "Jones." It was 1773, and the new Mr. Jones was just in time for the Revolutionary War.
As a Scotsman, he'd seen the brutality of the British crown, and signed up with the Continental Army, quickly proving his heroism and prowess while battling the formidable British fleet, most famously during his fight with the HMS Serapis.
Jones' ship, the Bon Homme Richard, was smaller and less-equipped than her royal counterpart. However, John Paul held his own with cannon and powder for three hours, and eventually rammed his way to victory by literally ramming his own vessel into the Serapis. It was during this battle that, when the British asked for Jones' surrender, he famously stated, "I have not yet begun to fight!"
After the war ended, Congress found itself short of funds, and dissolved the Navy. Perhaps they should have done what modern Congressmen do, and just spent more. Regardless, John Paul Jones found himself unemployed, and broadened his horizons, even going as far as Russia to fight the Turks on behalf of Katherine the Great.
The year of 1792 found John Paul in Paris, preparing to return to America. Unfortunately, his health began to deteriorate, and he died July 18 that same year. His friends buried him in a small French cemetery, which was soon forgotten.
Over a hundred years later, and with many efforts from both America and France, the body of John Paul Jones was recovered and taken back to the nation for whose liberty he had fought on the high seas. The father of America's Navy was appropriately placed in the crypt beneath the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, along with several of his effects.
John Paul Jones, his life, career, and self-sacrifice, serve as an example of what America embodies: taking individuals from all walks of life, and inspiring them to fight, not for country, race, or king, but for the glorious cause of liberty and justice for all.
Let us be inspired by Jones, and when our opponents laugh at or discount our efforts to take back our freedom from the federal government with Article V, let us look them in the eye and say, "We have not yet begun to fight!"
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