independence year.

The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army.

—General George Washington
July 2, 1776

It was on this very day, two hundred and thirty two years ago, that the Continental Congress made the monumental decision to officially sever all ties and declare independence from Britain.

I just finished reading 1776—David McCullough's masterwork—for the 4th time. I have found that the greatest books I've encountered warrant multiple readings, and I do not doubt that I will read this book many more times before I depart this life.

For all my railings against the Bush fiasco; for all the possible Good that has been flushed down the American toilet; for all my sorrow over this country's continual failure to achieve its potential.

For all that, I believe more than ever that this is the greatest nation on earth—a Promised Land—that was founded on the shoulders and backs of some of the greatest mortals I have ever known about.

1776 is the book that fully opened my eyes to the miracle that is the United States: a divided cluster of British colonies—who somehow defied the most powerful nation in the world at the height of its reign—colonies that became the the foundation of next world power and the country with the most potential this world has ever known.

The sheer predicament of the Colonial Rebels cannot be fathomed without a reading of that text. What I truly love about my experience with 1776 is that my supposition of some "victorious uprising" and "swift defeat" of Britain by the Americans could not have been farther from the reality of their situation.

It was a guaranteed failure from the start; a lost cause and an insane undertaking.

And yet here we are.

It is extraordinary circumstances that cause ordinary men—men like Henry Knox and Nathanael Green—to do the impossible. And they knew the weight of their responsibility:


As we play our part, posterity will bless us or curse us.
—Henry Knox

For any who have not read this book, I could not begin to express its importance enough. It is a book that will give you renewed patriotism is your own land; it is a book that will humble you to the core for the blessings of your life; it is a book that will give you new heroes, men who stood by ideals that have been long lost in our contemporary society.

Get out and buy this book. I prefer the audio version, which is read by David himself.

Happy Independence. I love mine, and hope I can do some genuine good with it.

wes.