Is America Still the Land of the Free?

June 4, 2026 Blog Post With the fast-approaching 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, I’ve been reflecting on what makes our country unique, and the word that keeps ringing in my ear is liberty. On the eve of the American Revolution, Patrick Henry asked a crowded room in St. John’s Church, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?” Before his famous speech, Patrick Henry stood against the British Empire’s excessive taxation. He argued that Americans should only pay taxes approved by the legislature of their own colony, not those imposed by a tyrannical government thousands of miles away. His response shaped Americans' reaction to Great Britain’s imposition of unfair taxes. This was part of the long train of abuses Thomas Jefferson wrote about in the Declaration of Independence. Patrick Henry’s famous speech, delivered 251 years ago, urged the Second Virginia Convention to stand against tyranny. To Patrick Henry, the choice was clear: Freedom or slavery? Self-government or submission? Representation or subjugation? Choice or force? And of course, liberty or death? Patrick Henry wasn’t fighting for abstract rights like the French Revolutionaries would do two decades later. He was standing up for the rights that all British people believed were theirs by birthright. But Americans took it even further. They claimed their rights were bestowed by God, not government, and that made them fight even harder to protect them. In contrast, the French Revolutionaries fought for license, the unlimited ability to do what one pleases, regardless of moral responsibility. The truth is, liberty does not sustain itself. Free societies require active citizens who recognize the duties that come with liberty. This is called ordered liberty. Self-government and liberty must be partnered together, or else lawlessness results. When Patrick Henry stated, “Give Me Liberty,” he knew it wasn’t a slogan, but a responsibility. With the 250th anniversary of our nation coming up on July 4th, it is worth taking a look at our nation and asking how we’re living up to the principles of our Founding. Take my America250 Surveys! Take the Separation of Powers survey here . Take the freedom survey here . Take the consent of the governed survey here . Take the self-government survey here . Take the U.S. Constitution survey here .