Give Me Liberty or….Well, Just Give Me Liberty
One of the most straightforward explanations of our founding principles was provided by a relatively unknown Revolutionary War veteran. His name was Levi Preston. He was a captain who fought in the Battle of Lexington and Concord.
In 1843 journalist Mellon Chamberlain interviewed Captain Preston about his service in the war. Chamberlain wanted to know why Levi left his farm to fight in the revolution. Chamberlain was a well-schooled Dartmouth College graduate and thought he knew Preston’s reasoning. The conversation went something like this:
Chamberlain: Did you fight in the war because of the Tea Tax?
Preston: Never drank the stuff. We heard the boys threw some in Boston Harbor.
Chamberlain: Did you fight to protest the Stamp Act?
Preston: Never bought one of them. The governor locked them in the armory.
Chamberlain: You must have read Locke, Harrington, and Sydney on liberty?
Preston: Never heard of them. We read the almanac, catechism, and the Bible.
Chamberlain: Well, why did you leave your farm to fight in the war?
Preston: We had always governed ourselves. We always intended to govern ourselves. Those Redcoats intended we should not.
What a contrast to what we see today. Far too many people are all too willing to hand over their individual liberties to their government. They do not understand or appreciate what Captain Preston did. They obediently follow instructions our government provides and ignore the encroachment on their civil rights.
We are faced with a health situation that should be taken seriously. We do not need dictates from the federal government. Our government should provide us the information we need and let us decide. We should be self-governing citizens and practice common sense compliance. We should act in the spirit of Levi Preston.
The Convention of States Project stands on the shoulders of great heroes like Captain Preston. Our great volunteers talk the talk. They also walk the walk.
We thank you for supporting the Convention of States Project. If you are a volunteer, we thank you and are here to support you. If you are a visitor to our site or have signed our petition showing your support, we thank you and ask you to consider the next step. Regardless of your availability or skill set, there is something you can do to advance the cause of liberty.
Visit our take action page to learn about volunteer opportunities with the Convention of States Missouri family. Let us fight in the spirit of Captain Levi Preston and save our republic.
