Ronald Reagan once said, “Those who say that we’re in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” Mark Meckler said that he saw a room full of heroes as he spoke to the Charleston, SC, GOP on Saturday, April 17, 2021.
He explained to the room of patriots that they stood in the shoes of giants. Mark discussed the greatness of an unsung hero from the Revolutionary War that did not gain glory or remarkable fame. Nonetheless, the unsung hero fought battles for reasons that most patriots could understand for the preservation of self-governance.
In 1843 a young Melon Chamberlin interviewed Captain Levi Preston in an effort to record the stories of his and other remaining revolutionary soldiers from the Continental line. Preston had fought the battles of Concord and Lexington. The interview occurred 67 years after the states had declared Independence.
The following was taken from an earlier Convention of States blog published on October 15, 2019, by Brett Sterley, State Director for Convention of States Missouri.
Chamberlain: “Captain Preston, why did you decide to leave your farm and fight the British at Concord? We’re you upset with the Stamp Act?”
Preston: “Never bought a one of them. I was told the Governor locked them in the Armory.”
Chamberlain: “Were you upset with the tax on tea?”
Preston: “Never drank the stuff. I heard the boys in Boston threw some in the harbor.”
Chamberlain: “Had you read the writings of Locke, Sidney and Harrington about the principles of liberty?”
Preston: “Never heard of any of those fellows. We read the Almanac, the Bible and the Catechism.”
Chamberlain: “Well, I suppose you were revolting against the oppression of King George III?”
Preston: “Never felt a wit of it. I just farmed my land.”
Finally, Chamberlain asked, “Well, why did you leave your farm to fight the British?
Preston responded, “We had always governed ourselves. We always intended to govern ourselves and them British intended that we shouldn’t.”
There are other versions of this interview circulating, but the sentiment is the same. One patriot hero describing in the most simple of terms, he believed in self-governance and he intended to preserve that right.
Mark said that “...Preston’s explanation is the entire philosophy of the American Revolution summed up by a patriot farmer that was actually willing to put his life on the line. Preston’s sentiment is in each American’s DNA, whether you are a first generation immigrant or whether your family goes all the way back to the Mayflower.
"Americans are unique in that we don’t accept our government telling us how to live our lives. We are not comfortable with the government telling us what to do.”
Mark summed up by saying that he saw a room full of Levi Prestons, individuals willing to push back on the status quo. The Founders intended for We The People to be in charge of this country. They put a provision in the Constitution, so that We the People could restrain federal tyranny.
Join us and push back on the status quo of big government. We the People have the power, and with power comes great responsibility.
Sign the petition with close to 45,000 other South Carolinians and let’s rein in the federal government.
