Most Americans have no idea of the importance of April 19 in history. Two hundred and forty-four years ago, “The shot heard round the world” was fired, beginning the American Revolution and changing forever the relationship between individuals and governments across the globe. It is a battle that continues to be fought, even in the United States.
The history is straightforward:
The British had been moving steadily to reduce both the private and community rights of their American colonies. The colonists, separated by time and distance from London, had grown accustomed not only to governing themselves, but to the practice of freedoms considerably greater than those in effect anyplace else across the globe. It was becoming increasingly apparent that the colonists’ liberties were being dismantled. To protect themselves from the escalating abuse, the colonists stored up ammunition to protect themselves.
The National Archives describes what happened next: “On the evening of April 18, 1775, the British authorities, acting on information that a supply of ammunition for the local militia was being stored in Concord, sent British regular troops from Boston to confiscate the arms. Skirmishes occurred in several places, most notably on Lexington town green and afterwards at Old North Bridge spanning the Concord River in Concord. The incidents are referred to as the Lexington Alarm and the Battle of Concord… The colonists felt wronged. They had been fired upon unjustly.”
Would those courageous patriots, who challenged the greatest military power of their time in a bid to preserve their rights, feel comfortable in today’s America? The disturbing answer is no. The fact is, the rights those colonists fought for are now frowned upon by a growing segment of the political and cultural elites.
Even more controversial, the First Amendment, (protecting Freedom of speech, assembly, and religion) is in danger. Many on the Left jump at any opportunity to punish free speech: They object to the fact that “hurt feelings may be triggered” or a particular group may be “offended.”
Over the past decade, progressive politicians had been at the forefront of the move to limit free speech. Senator Schumer (D-NY) actually introduced legislation to limit the First Amendment’s application to some political speech. (The measure was, fortunately, defeated.) Numerous campaign regulations limit the ability of the citizenry to openly support candidates without first jumping through bureaucratic hoops.
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On a governmental level, the trend reached a high point during the Obama Administration, when some dissenting reporters were harassed and their personal records were obtained by the federal government. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service was employed to suppress the Tea Party. The former President’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch even considered “criminally prosecuting” those that merely disagreed with Obama’s climate change views.
There is an even deeper challenge. Those “Minutemen” who formed at the Lexington Town Green and at the Old North Bridge in Concord believed that all people had inherent rights. They stood on the principle that their individual rights didn’t come as a result of a law being passed, but from nature, or God. But today, Progressives hold the opposite view.
News commentator Chris Cuomo disturbingly displayed what has become a major thrust of Progressive political philosophy.
The exchange, as described in the Washington Times: “CNN anchor Chris Cuomo…[Had an exchange with] Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore…Moore said ‘…our rights contained in the Bill of Rights do not come from the Constitution, they come from God.’ Cuomo disagreed: ‘Our laws do not come from God, your honor…’”
No less a person than a United States Supreme Court Justice has also expressed a similar lack of respect for the central principle behind the entire structure of American government and law. During the confirmation hearings of Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, Sen. Tom Coburn had a testy exchange in which he pushed her to state her belief in fundamental rights. She evaded answering.
On this day, when far too few recall the significance of what those heroic patriots did, the rights they bequeathed to us are in real jeopardy. It is time for Americans to again stand up to tyranny.
Photo: Minuteman Statue in Concord (AANM Photo)