MAY-JUNE 2026 - AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250 - ISSUE #11

AlovelettertoU.S.from

DearAmerica...

Whendidyou lastreceive a loveletterthatmadeyou recall how truly blessed andspecialyoureallyare? Hereisonefor allof U.S.. Pleasetakeittoheart... America,you maynot havefeltitforawhile, butyouareloved! It’stimetofeeltheLove (Andgivesometoo!)

"He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of this country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man....The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people”

- Samuel Adams

“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history” - George Orwell (1984)

I Pledge Allegiance To the Flag of the United States of America, And to the Republic For which it stands, One Nation Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty And Justice for All

“We are the first people whom heaven has favoured with an opportunity of deliberating upon and choosing forms of government under which they should live” - John Jay

AMERICA THE beautiful Obeautifulforpatriotdream Thatseesbeyondtheyears, Thinealabastercitiesgleam Undimmedbyhumantears! America!America! GodshedHisgraceonthee, And crown thy good with brotherhood Fromseatoshiningsea!

PIKES PEAK - “AMERICA’S MOUNTAIN” - Colorado Springs, Colorado - USA The spot of inspiration in 1893, For the Nation’s Song: America the Beautiful - Released July 4th, 1895 And source of inspiration for the Nation’s Beautiful New Patriotic, USA 250th Birthday Magazine: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250

WASHINGTON’S “MIRACLES TO BE WROUGHT”

Since 1776, there have been over 120 declarations of independence made by different countries and different peoples. Our founders must have done something right.

"The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; yet, without presumptuously waiting for miracles to be wrought in our favor, IT IS OUR INDISPENSABLE DUTY, with the deepest gratitude to Heaven for the past, and humble confidence in its smiles on our future operations, to make use of all the means in our power for our defense and security”

George Washington

“The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind” Thomas Jefferson

With earnest prayers to all my friends to cherish mutual good will, to promote harmony and conciliation, and above all things to let the love of our country soar above all minor passions, I tender you the assurance of my affectionate esteem and respect” - Thomas Jefferson

Courting America

"May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely, than this our own country” - Daniel Webster

On the cover is an inspiring thought about the lady we should all love and hold dearLady Liberty - “America! ”

“May the Glory of America... And her Beautiful call for Liberty, Never cease to Shine!”

Consider too - these perpetual words, America:

"I have enjoyed my life, its disappointments outweighed by its pleasures. I have loved my country in a way that some people consider sentimental and out of style. I still do, and I remain an optimist, with joy, without apology, about this country and about the American experiment in democracy.”

- Vice President Hubert H Humphrey

Now know, these were the words the former Vice President (in 1978), had inscribed & emblazoned upon his tombstone. How’s that for Patriotism, America?

“All Americans” and the whole country would do well (regardless of party affiliation), to reflect upon and adhere to this sound wisdom from the grave.

AMERICA

THE

BEAUTIFUL

250 hopes you will.

How truly beautiful to have that “Love Letter to America” etched into your eternal spirit and upon the granite of your grave for future generations of “Americans” to see and ponder. Please America, don’t let these words fly idly by. Take them to heart and consider how great your life is and will be, with allowing “Your Light” ... to SHINE ON “AMERICA!”

Other voices cry out from the grave as well, with equally poignant sentiments for U S to take to heart Here is one from a historic figure we all have heard of - Thomas Jefferson - in a letter to James Monroe, 1785:

“My god! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy”

And then 100-years later, from Abraham Lincoln:

“Gold is good in its place; but living, brave, patriotic men, are better than gold.” ... and ... “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds”

On it goes, 40-years after that:

“Patriotism is easy to understand in America...It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country” - Calvin Coolidge, 1923

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250 encourages you to reflect upon these words and to live your life out with golden optimism, patriotic joy, sincere appreciation for the blessings upon you, and with a charitable outlook for Lady Liberty and your fellow man. AMERICA NEEDS YOU. “Awesome American Citizenship” demands nothing less and yet, there is so much more to reflect upon to get you fired up for the Glory of America, and her Beautiful 250 call for Liberty The pages following, are chalked-full, with the history of our founding, and encouragement for a better life (The Best Life), for you & Beautiful America. The Celebration of our 250th is only 60 days away... Lady Liberty, shine upon U.S. & Let U.S also shine for you!

“Love your neighbor as yourself, and your country more than yourself”

- Thomas Jefferson

On this first

day of

May 2026, Spring is upon U.S. & the World ...And all the world is watching!

250-years ago, on this day, the Colonies were nervously beaming with the hope and anticipation of courting New Life for America and expressing their love for “Liberty.” These young colonial “buds” would soon be in full bloom with their Declaration for Freedom & Independence from the overbearing Motherland.

May 1st - July 4th, 1776, was an energized 60days, that would soon change the course of world history forever ... The Blessings would be to U.S.!

So today, in a Spirit of that Passion (with our own bouquet of “memory & celebration” in hand), this is our springtime of hope and a renewed, 60day’s journey to new-found love of country. It’s time for “All Americans” to shine like we should, and it’s time to put some pep-in-our-step, to rekindle love and appreciation for “God, Family, Country.” If we want the greatest relationship with Lady America, then let’s get things spiffed up for the “Wonderful Pronouncement” and the 250th Anniversary of Americans Celebrating Life!

What do you say America - Is it a date? It sure is! And it’s time for “All of U.S.” to GET READY!

The regal attire for the special occasion is: The Finest in Red, White and Blue...accompanied by the beautiful, “Awesome American Citizenship”

“LOVE LETTER TO AMERICA”

Appropriate to this May Day, AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250 wishes to share the forward to: “Love Letter to America (1984)”

This is a non-fiction book by former KGB agent & defector from USSR, Yuri Bezmenov (writing as Tomas Schuman).

In the book, Yuri urges Americans to cherish their freedoms, arguing that the U S is the last stronghold of freedom and warning against Soviet-style subversion, collectivism, and communist infiltration.

“My name is Tomas David Schuman. I am what you may call a "defector" from the USSR, and I have a message for you: I love you very much. I love all of youliberals and conservatives, "decadent capitalists" and "oppressed masses," blacks and whites and browns and yellows, rednecks and intellectuals. For me you are the people who created a unique nation, country and society in the history of mankind by no means, a perfect one, but let's face it - the most free, affluent and just in today’s world

I am not alone in this love. People all over the Earth, whether they praise America or bitterly criticize her, look upon you as the only hope for mankind's survival and the last stronghold of freedom Some may not think in these idealistic terms, but they certainly enjoy the fruits of your civilization, often forgetting to be grateful for them. Millions of people in the so-called "socialist camp" or in the "Third World" literally owe their lives to America . ”

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country” - Benjamin Franklin:

A call for Independence

NINE WEEKS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD

"THIS COUNTRY AND THIS PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MADE FOR EACH OTHER.”

- John Jay

The cover of "Declaration: The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, May 1-July 4, 1776," by William Hogeland

“We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in” - Thomas Paine

“Since the publication of the first edition of this pamphlet, (Common Sense), or rather, on the same day on which it came out, the King’s Speech made its appearance in this city [Philadelphia]. Had the spirit of prophecy directed the birth of this production, it could not have brought it forth at a more at a more necessary time. The bloody-mindedness of the one, shows the the doctrine of the other. Men read by way of revenge. And the Speech, instead way for the manly principles of Independence” - Thomas Paine

May 2, 1776

Every post is honourable in which a man can serve his country.”

- George Washington

The Fight For America - A Global War with a watch makers mindful precision

By making a declaration of independence, the colonies would become a united sovereign power, where with a Congress, they could make treaties with other nations. However, going against the British Military was going to be quite a feat - especially without Artillery, Arms, Ammunition, Clothing, Supplies and ALLIES. Still somewhat reluctant to make this declaration, the colonies need a push. That push was the much needed “ally” assistance...but how to convince allies to help?

Fortunately, France had already began following the growing conflict between Great Britain and its colonies in North American . Two years prior, In 1774 , supporters of the Patriot cause had already approached French officials asking for assistance.

Thinking that the British/Colony crisis might soon be resolved - OR - that French intervention could lead to another war that France wasn’t ready for, the French Foreign Minister - the Comte de Vergennesanddecided it was too soon to get involved .

France, in the not to distant past, had been dealt a humiliating defeat in the Seven Years War. With the British having stripped France of its own North American empire, France was reluctant to engage as an official American ally, declaring war against Britain. However, France did keep a watchful eye and a year later in 1775 , with the growing tensions and a greater interest, France sent

secret agents to America to discover how serious the colonists were in their resistance to British attempts to tax them without their consent . Before the French would get involved, two necessary conditions were going to be required : 1 ) To openly help the American rebels, the colonies had to first declare their independence, and 2 ) the colonies had to show they were, capable of defending themselves against the British army.

In early 1776, this was going to be hard to do. While John Adams and George Washington stressed the need for an alliance with France and Spain, Benjamin Franklin pragmatically stated in a diary of the time, “The Army had not five rounds of powder a man. The world wondered that we so seldom fire a cannon; we could not afford it ”

What was needed was the “watchmaker”... It was time to call on Pierre Beaumarchais.

"OUR

And who was this Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais? Pierre was a man of many talents and much intrigue...PossiblythefirstJamesBondfigure?

He was a watchmaker, inventor, musician, playwright, spy, publisher, arms dealer and both a French and American revolutionary, whose life provided a very interesting and pivotal transition point to the American Revolution...all the way from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The story (short version), goes like this: Pierre was a Parisian watchmaker's son, who caught on quickly. At a young age he also had an interest in music and played several instruments. While watches were then, commonly unreliable for timekeeping, he applied his research and skill to invent a substantially more accurate and compact watch. Upon discovering the boy's talent, A Royal clockmaker in France, became a mentor to Beaumarchais and once earning his trust, promptly stole the idea for himself. Ain’tthatasurprise!

A tabloid legal case proving Pierre the inventor, catapulted Beaumarchais to stardom in Paris... where he was asked by King Louis XV to create a watch mounted on a ring for his mistress. Anothersurprise!

With his new acclaim, Pierre became "Purveyor to the King.” He met and married a wealthy widow, who helped him secure a royal office, where shortly thereafter he gave up watchmaking. After his marriage, he also adopted the name "Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais", which he derived from "le Bois Marchais", the name of a piece of land belonging to his wife...believing it sounded grander & more aristocratic.

He even adopted an elaborate coat of arms. Ever watchedtheCountofMonteCristo? And then she died, plunging him into financial difficulties. Beaumarchais’ overcame this by being appointed to teach Louis XV's four daughters the harp and then a musical advisor for the royal family. Pierre concentrated on developing his business affairs and began his interest in writing plays. More sorted legal troubles followed...where once again, Beaumarchais became a celebrity, the public now seeing him as a champion for social justice and liberty. From there, his services to Louis XV, included traveling on secret missions to London, Amsterdam, & Vienna...

A SPY! While in London he began gathering information on British politics and Britain's deteriorating colonial situation. When fighting broke out with the American rebels, Pierre became a major source of information about the rebellion for the French government. He sent a steady stream of reports with exaggerated rumours of the size of the success of the rebel forces blockading Boston. This helped to solidify the two conditions the French were looking to be met in early in 1776 , and thus ( prior to the declaration), King Louis XVI and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes, were convinced of the value of assisting America and the King permitted secret aid to the American cause. On May 2, France began secretly sending military supplies and financial aid to the Americans, committing one million dollars in arms and munitions to the American revolutionaries. Through now, “a gun smuggler,” this aid would mark the beginning of the much needed and essential foreign support from France and Spain. Thank you, PierreAugustin Caron de Beaumarchais. You’requiteaguy!

"THE RIGHTS OF CONSCIENCE, OF BEARING ARMS, OF CHANGING THE

ARE DECLARED TO BE INHERENT IN THE

May 4, 1776

Rhode Island became the first colony to formally renounce its allegiance to King George III

On May 4, 1776, the Rhode Island General Assembly met in Providence to enact “THE MAY ACT” - the last official act in colonial Rhode Island. Jonathan Arnold was elected to author this act that repealed the requirement for government officials and militia officers to swear an oath of allegiance to England and the king. Rather, It enacted an oath of allegiance to the state and decreed that all court proceedings should be performed in the name of the state, not of the king. The bill replaced “God save the King” with the phrase “God save the United Colonies.”

“The ultimate authority...resides in the people alone...The advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation...forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition” - James Madison

THE PARTY

VIRGINIA WOULD PRODUCE THE CASH FOR THE CONVENTION

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance” - Thomas Jefferson

The May 6, 1776, Virginia currency issue consisted of colonial notes which were authorized by the Virginia Convention, just prior to independence. The featured denominations were in both pounds-shillings and Spanish milled dollars. These notes, signed by hand “John Carter Littlepage”, were aimed at financing the Revolutionary War. They frequently feature the warning "Death to Counterfeit”

“I am not a Virginian, but an American” - Patrick Henry

May 6, 1776

The Fifth Virginia Convention (acting as a de facto revolutionary government), had its group assemble in Williamsburg, to draft a constitution and officially declare Virginia an independent state

This Fifth Convention took place from May 6–July 6, 1776, with the instruction to their delegates in Congress being to propose national independence. This crucial, unanimous move directly influenced the US Declaration of Independence.

This would be the Final Meeting of the House of Burgesses, with its meeting records famously ending in the Latin word "Finis" (the end).

During the Convention, delegates amended the Book of Common Prayer (by a resolution), to replace prayers for the king and members of the royal family with prayers for the magistrates of Virginia

Just moments after the delegates adopted the new constitution, they elected Patrick Henry as the first governor. They also chose members of the Council of State and appointed Edmund Randolph as the attorney general

The convention adjourned on July 5, 1776 To all’s surprise, they did not yet know that on July 2, The Continental Congress had already voted for independence and that on July 4, had adopted the Declaration of Independence. These two unknown actions of Congress along with the implementation of the new Virginia Constitution and the swearing in of Patrick Henry as governor on July 6, made Virginia one of the independent United States of America.

The seal of the new state, depicted “Virtus the genius of the commonwealth dressed like an Amazon resting on a Spear with one hand and holding a Sword in the other and treading on Tyranny represented by a man prostrate a Crown fallen from his Head a broken chain in his left Hand and a Scourge in his right.” The new motto of the commonwealth, would be “Sic semper tyrannis,” thus always to tyrants. This virtually completed the constitutional revolution delegates to remove the King of England from the government of Virginia .

WOULD ALSO PRODUCE HER STATE’S NEW SEAL

"Objects of the most stupendous Magnitude, measures which will affect the lives of millions born and unborn, are depending” - John Adams To All Our Beautiful Moms Where would we be without you? Thank you for saying yes! Happy Mother’s Day May 10, 2026

“A picture of America as an immortal mother, A grand, sane, towering, seated mother, Chair’d in the adamant of time, Surrounded by all her children, young and old, She is neither youthful nor aged, She is beautiful beyond the beauty of virginityMake her picture, painters! And you, her statue, sculptors! Try, age after age, till you achieve it! (I don’t think the American genius has so far run into effective sculptural work.)” Walt Whitman

“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government” - Thomas Jefferson

In Demanding Rights...

Cast your votes to Virtue!

The importance of women in the working out the destiny of mankindAs there were fathers in our Republic so there were mothers ... By their abiding faith, they inspired and encouraged the men; by their sacrifice they performed their part in the struggle out of which came our country ...” President Calvin Coolidge

To the Daughters of the American Revolution On America’s 150th Anniversary in 1926

“To preserve peace will no doubt be difficult, but by accomplishing it we can show our wisdom and magnanimity, and secure to our people

the enjoyment of a dignified repose by indulging which they will be prosperous and happy”

- James Monroe

Mother’s Day

Mother's Day is the 3rd largest card-selling holiday in the United States (115 million cards), however, Anna Jarvis personally detested commercial cards. She called them, “A poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write". America, you better get your pens out & start writing your mom that special letter you’ve been putting off. LOVE YA

While celebrations of motherhood date way back to ancient Greek and Roman festivals honoring goddesses, the modern version of celebrating moms traces back to before the Civil War. Ann Reeves Jarvis (Anna’s mother), started "Mothers’ Work Clubs" in Appalachia to improve sanitation and health They were later promoted as "Mothers’ Friendship Day" to heal Civil War divisions.

Then following the death of Anna’s mother in 1905, Anna Jarvis fostered a day to honor all mothers - with the first official service being held on May 10, 1908, in West Virginia. Six year’s later, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring the second Sunday in May as a national holiday honoring Mothers.

“If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace”

- Thomas Paine

May 10, 1776

The Continental Congress Authorizes the Thirteen Colonies To form their Local Governments Replacing British authority

This would turn out to be quite a day...

On this day, 250 years ago, The Second Continental Congress took a major step toward American Independence. The delegates resolution authorizing the creation of new governments in each colony The resolution was passed and the a formal Declaration of come two months later.

Leading the charge, that day were John Adams and Richard Henry Lee, who prompted this resolution for the colonies to form new, independent governments and thus, officially abandon British authority. The Continental Congress essentially would become the effective national government of the country. As such, it would conduct diplomacy on behalf of the new “United States.” This resolution would also directly lead to the appointment of the “Committee of Five,” which on June 11th, would gather to draft the Declaration of Independence.

“If we don’t document the past, we won’t know where we came from.”

- Albert Small

The Virginia Gazette, back in the day, published frequent official announcements from the British government. Notice on the previous page - the May 10, 1776, issue of the Virginia Gazette displays the Royal Coat of Arms. A week later, after the “Hot-off-the-press” news of the day, the tone quickly changed and the coat of arms was replaced on the May 17th issue, with a graphic: “Thirteen United Colonies” - United We Stand, Divided We Fall” (See ATB250 - page 31)

This act of May 10, “Resolved, That it be recommended to the respective assemblies and conventions of the United Colonies, where no government sufficient to the exigencies of their affairs have been hitherto established, to adopt such government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the happiness and safety of their constituents in particular, and America in general.”

The Continental Congress formally observed in the May 10 resolution, In October 1775 King George III had declared the colonies to be outside his protection and authorized military force to subdue them This royal act broke the original contract,

“Independence itself, but we must have it with more formality yet”

- John Adams

“The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed

from them” - Patrick Henry

May 10, 1776

“The

400,000 Dollars For the Use of the Army Under your Command, Shall be forwarded on Monday”

- John Hancock to George

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other” - John Adams

May 15, 1776

“Resolved, unanimously, That the Delegates appointed to represent this Colony in General Congress be instructed to propose to that respectable body to declare the United Colonies free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain; and that they give the assent of this Colony to such declaration, and to whatever measures may be thought proper and necessary by the Congress for forming foreign alliances, and a Confederation of the Colonies, at such time and in the manner as to them shall seem best: Provided, That the power of forming Government for, and the regulations of the internal concerns of each Colony, be left to the respective Colonial Legislatures. Resolved, unanimously, That a Committee be appointed to prepare a Declaration of Rights, and such a plan of Government as will be most likely to maintain peace and order in this Colony, and secure substantial and equal liberty to the people ”

Preamble to Resolution on Independent Governments

“Whereas his Britannic Majesty, in conjunction with the lords and commons of Great Britain, has, by a late act of Parliament, excluded the inhabitants of these United Colonies from the protection of his crown; And whereas, no answer, whatever, to the humble petitions of the colonies for redress of grievances and reconciliation with Great Britain, has been or is likely to be given; but, the whole force of that kingdom, aided by foreign mercenaries, is to be exerted for the destruction of the good people of these colonies; And whereas, it appears absolutely irreconcileable to reason and good Conscience, for the people of these colonies now to take the oaths and affirmations necessary for the support of any government under the crown of Great Britain, and it is necessary that the exercise of every kind of authority under the said crown should be totally suppressed, and all the powers of government exerted, under the authority of the people of the colonies,2 for the preservation of internal peace, virtue, and good order, as well as for the defence of their lives, liberties, and properties, against the hostile invasions and cruel depredations of their enemies; therefore, resolved, &c.”

- John Adams

JohnAdamsconsideredthisday,ratherthanJuly4, tobethetrueturningpoint,describingtheresolution asatotalseparationfromBritain,stating:

“Congresspassedthemostimportantresolution that was ever taken in America.”

"ByremovingtheBiblefromschools,wewouldbewastingsomuchtime andmoneyinpunishingcriminalsandsolittlepainstopreventcrime. TaketheBibleoutofourschoolsandtherewouldbeanexplosionincrime”

- BenjaminRush

Just 6-weeks prior to the adoption of the much heralded, Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress (by proclamation), setMay 17 , 1776, as a “Day ofPrayer” for the fledgling nation-to-be. On this day, during their own time of extreme political and militarytensions, these same men who would soon sigh the document, established this special and consequential moment for the citizens of the colonies to contemplate behaviors and to acknowledge the need of divineprovidence,assistance andprotection.

Would America follow these orders today?

Keep reading America ...

It’s time to follow some orders!

May 15, 1776

“Orders to the Troops”

“The Continental Congress having ordered Friday the 17th instant to be observed as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, humbly to supplicate the mercy of Almighty God, that it would please Him to pardon all our manifold sins and transgressions, and to prosper the arms of the United Colonies, and finally establish the peace and freedom of America upon a solid and lasting foundation; the General commands all officers and soldiers to pay strict obedience to the orders of the Continental Congress; that, by their unfeigned and pious observance of their religious duties, they may incline the Lord and Giver of victory to prosper our arms.”

General George Washington

"We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come” - Samuel Adams:

May 17, 2026

The Commander in Chief’s Invitation To All Of U.S.

”Giving thanks and praise to God For 250 years of His Providence For the United States, in praying That God Bless & Protect America For the next 250 years, and in Solemnly Rededicating Our Country “One Nation under God”

- President Donald J. Trump

“But where, say some, is the King of America? I’ll tell you, friend, He reigns above” - Thomas Paine

Beforewegothereandstart throwingstones... itmightbeagoodideatosee whatiswrittenonthem

“In the Founders’ enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on and degraded and imbruted by its fellows”

- AbrahamLincoln

- JamesMadison

“For avoiding the extremes of despotism or anarchy… the only grounds of hope must be on the morals of the people. I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals and that morals are the only possible support of free governments.”

- GouverneurMorris "Knowledge will forever govern ignorance.”

“It is infinitely better to have a few good men than many indifferent ones”

- George Washington

“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of every individual … Continue steadfast and with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us”

- JohnHancock

“The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. In vain are schools, academies, and universities instituted, if loose principles and licentious habits are impressed upon children in their earliest years”

- JohnAdams

“These are times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or in the repose of a pacifist station, that great characters are formed"

- AbigailAdams

“Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to; convinced that on their sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty”

- ThomasJefferson

“The best and only safe road to honor, glory, and true dignity is justice.”

- GeorgeWashington

“Conscience is the most sacred of all property”

JamesMadison

“National defense is one of the cardinal duties of a statesman

- JohnAdams

One Nation Under God

“Join with neighbors and friends from every state in the Union in giving thanks and praise to God for 250 years of His Providence for the United States, in praying that God Bless and Protect America for the next 250 years, and in solemnly rededicating our country as One Nation under God. In speech, song, and storytelling, we will bear witness to the extraordinary story of how God has powerfully and wondrously shaped the United States of America remembering the people, sacrifices, and defining moments in which God has powerfully manifested Himself in our history. This is more than an event - it is a once in a lifetime national moment”

One Nation Under God

And now WE are the FIFTY “UNITED STATES”... with the same binding phrase, “United, We Stand --Divided, We Fall,” directing U.S. forward for the next 250 years. The phrase was first published in July 1768 in the PennsylvaniaJournal and Boston Gazette...

"By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!" were words of ”The Liberty Song,” written by Founding Father, John Dickinson. "The Liberty Song," and the phrase caught on and it was here, eight years later, on May 17, 1776, in the Virginia Gazette, that the words were highlighted front and center, flanked by “Always for LIBERTY”

“And the PUBLICK GOOD.”

Like most songs, a line or two are popularly remembered as we hum along. In the Liberty song there were some more impactful words that Americans should pick up on: “Come,join hand inhand, brave Americans all, and rouse your bold hearts at Liberty’s call... Ourworthyforefathers, let'sgive them a cheer!

“Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall; In so righteous a cause let us hope to succeed, For heavenapproves of eachgenerous deed. ”

In addition to catchy words in songs, our Founding Fathers were wise to inscribe the opening of the Constitution with the catchiest phrase of (and for) all: “We the People.”...Three simple words (like “I Love You” which are not so difficult to say), were the first words written into our Constitution, to remind U.S. that “We the People” do have the power and ability to form a more perfect Union. Remember any more of that amazing Constitutional refrain?“Establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ” - Then let’s go America - Don’t just sit there!

There’s work to be done! ...

HoptoyourfeetandJoinU.S.

One Nation Under God

Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving

MAY 17, 2026 - 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

NATIONAL MALL, WASHINGTON, DC

“Join With Neighbors And Friends From Every State In The Union”...

“Freedom 250 Invites All Americans to ComeTogether inPrayer andWorship Ahead of the Nation’s 250thBirthday

On Sunday, May 17, 2026, the National Mall will be the scene of a historic gathering as Americans of every background across the country prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God. From morning fellowship in front of the U.S. Capitol to an evening filled with music anchored at the main stage on 12th Street, Rededicate 250 will be rooted in giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250.”

“How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them” - Benjamin Franklin

THE POETS PROSE ON AMERICA

“Liberty can no more exist without virtue and independence, than the body can live and move without a soul” - John Adams

The Poets on America

“Always the path of American destiny has been into the unknown. Always there arose enough reserves of strength, balances of sanity, portions of wisdom to carry the nation through to a fresh start with ever renewing vitality”

Carl Sandburg

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance.” - James Madison

“America is another word for Opportunity. Our whole history appears like a last effort of the Divine Providence n behalf of the human race”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem”

Walt Whitman

Yet America is a poem in our eyes; its ample geography dazzles the imagination, and it will not wait long for metres. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The Poet"

‘‘WE THE PEOPLE” GUARDED WITH REVERENCE AND CARE

“It is an object of vast magnitude that systems of education should be adopted and pursued which may not only diffuse a knowledge of the sciences but may implant in the minds of the American youth the principles of virtue and of liberty and inspire them with just and liberal ideas of government and with an inviolable attachment to their own country” - Noah Webster

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” - Constitution of the United States of America, 1787

May-Sept. 1787, The Constitutional Convention was called in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. Shuttering the windows of Independence Hall & swearing secrecy so all could speak freely, the delegates decided a month later to completely redesign thegovernment. After three months ofhotlychargeddebate, the new Constitution of theUnited States took effect on September 17, 1787. It remains in effect to thisday!

The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until September 17, 1789, when the present day U.S. Constitution went into effect.

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives" - James Madison

"Strive to be the greatest man (or woman) in your country, and you may be disappointed. Strive to be the best you and you may succeed” - Benjamin Franklin

Wise

words for:

Virtue All Back To Reality - Who’s in?

“WE THE PEOPLE”VIRTUE ALL BACK TO REALITY

Take the 1st step: JOIN THE TEAM

"I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education”

- Thomas Jefferson

"I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH OF ONE WAR NEVER TO WISH TO SEE ANOTHER”

- Thomas Jefferson

May 25, 1776

While most know Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, many don’t know its history or how to properly pay respects.

America first began recognizing Memorial Day in 1868, after the Civil War To honor the nearly 620,000 soldiers who lost their lives, the nation began holding tributes That was right here on U S soil - amongst fellow citizens. In all wars, the total of lives lost in battle, is over 1,300,000 of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, grandparents, friends and fellow soldiers Think about that America and let this sink in as we pay our respects for these souls this day.

Revolutionary War (1775–1783): 25,000-50,000

Civil War (1861–1865): 620,000-750,000

World War I (1917–1918): 116,516

World War II (1941–1945): 405,399

Korean War (1950–1953): 36,574

Vietnam War (1955–1975): 58,220

Post-9/11 Wars (Iraq/Afghanistan): Over 7,000

These are lives of loved ones we remember.

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country"

The first American Continental Army officer to be executed after the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was Captain Nathan Hale. He was hanged by the British on September 22, 1776, in New York City after being captured while acting as a spy. His last words before being hung were: Awesome American Citizenship!

"PEACE

AND FRIENDSHIP WITH ALL MANKIND IS OUR WISEST POLICY, AND I WISH WE MAY BE PERMITTED TO PURSUE IT” - Thomas Jefferson

GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN, MEMORIAL DAY FOUNDER

“The 30th of May 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”

One of the earliest known Memorial Day observances was in 1865, by a group of freed slaves, teachers, and missionaries in Charleston, South Carolina. The group met to honor the 257 Union prisoners of war who had been buried in a mass grave, and to give them a proper burial accompanied by an honor parade They transformed the site that once served as a prison for the Union captives into a proper burial place for their loved ones. That’s taking it to heart!

Off with your hat as the flag goes by! And let the heart have its say; You're man enough for a tear in your eye That you will not wipe away...

H. C. Bunner, "The Old Flag," Airs from Arcady and Elsewhere 1884

some more “ Common Sense” America’s First

Self - Help Book

CONTINUED FROM ISSUE #10 -

“But the King, you will say, has a negative in England; the people there can make no laws without his consent. In point of right and good order, it is something very ridiculous that a youth of twenty -one (which hath often happened) shall say to several millions of people older and wiser than himself, “I forbid this or that act of yours to be law.” But in this place, I decline this sort of reply, though I will never cease to expose the absurdity of it, and only answer that England being the King’s residence, and America not so, makes quite another case. The King’s negative here is ten times more dangerous and fatal than it can be in England; for there he will scarcely refuse his consent to a bill for putting England into as strong a state of defense as possible, and in America he would never suffer such a bill to be passed.

America is only a secondary object in the system of British politics. England consults the good of this country no further than it answers her own purpose. Wherefore, her own interest leads her to suppress the growth of ours in every case which doth not

“Freedom hath been hunted round the globe. Asia and Africa have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! Receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind” - Thomas Paine

promote her advantage, or in the least interferes with it. A pretty state we should soon be in under such a second-hand government, considering what has happened! Men do not change from enemies

“It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage...(continue)

to friends by the alteration of a name: And in order to show that reconciliation now is a dangerous doctrine, I affirm, that it would be policy in the King at this time to repeal the acts, for the sake of reinstating himself in the government of the provinces; In order that HE MAY ACCOMPLISH BY CRAFT AND SUBTLETY, IN THE LONG RUN, WHAT HE CANNOT DO BY FORCE AND VIOLENCE IN THE SHORT ONE. Reconciliation and ruin are nearly related.

Secondly. That as even the best terms which we can expect to obtain can amount to no more than a temporary expedient, or a kind of government by guardianship, which can last no longer than till the Colonies come of age, so the general face and state of things in the interim will be unsettled and unpromising. Emigrants of property will not choose to come to a country whose form of government hangs but by a thread, and who is everyday tottering on the brink of commotion and disturbance; and numbers of the present inhabitants would lay hold of the interval to dispose of their effects and quit the Continent.

But the most powerful of all arguments is, that nothing but independance, i.e. a Continental form of government, can keep the peace of the Continent and preserve it inviolate from civil wars. I dread the event of a reconciliation with Britain than probable that it will be some where or other, the may be far more fatal than

Thousands are already ruined by British barbarity; (thousands more will probably suffer the same fate.)

Those men have other feelings than us who have nothing suffered. All they now possess is liberty; what they before enjoyed is sacrificed to its service, and having nothing more to lose they disdain submission. Besides, the general temper of the Colonies, towards a British government will be like that of a youth who is nearly out of his time; they will care very little about her: And a government which cannot preserve the peace is no government at all, and in that case we pay our money for nothing; and pray what is it that Britain can do, whose power will be wholly on paper, should a civil tumult break out the very day after reconciliation?

I have heard some men say, many of whom I believe spoke without thinking, that they dreaded an independance, fearing that it would produce civil wars: It is but seldom that our first thoughts are truly correct, and that is the case here; for there is ten times more to dread from a patched-up connection than from independance. I make the sufferer’s case my own, and I protest, that were I driven from house and home, my property destroyed, and my circumstances ruined, that as a man, sensible of injuries, I could never relish the doctrine of reconciliation or consider myself bound thereby.

The Colonies have manifested such a spirit of good order and obedience to Continental government, as is sufficient to make every reasonable person easy and happy on that head. No man can assign the

least pretence for his fears, on any other grounds, than such as are truly childish and ridiculous, viz., that one colony will be striving for superiority over another.

Where there are no distinctions there can be no superiority; perfect equality affords no temptation. The Republics of Europe are all (and we may say always) in peace. Holland and Switzerland are without wars, foreign or domestic: Monarchical governments, it is true, are never long at rest: the crown itself is a temptation to enterprising ruffians at home; and that degree of pride and insolence ever attendant on regal authority, swells into a rupture with foreign powers in instances where a republican government, by being formed on more natural principles, would negociate the mistake.

If there is any true cause of fear respecting independance, it is because no plan is yet laid down. Men do not see their way out. Wherefore, as an opening into that business I offer the following hints; at the same time modestly affirming, that I have no other opinion of them myself, than that they may be the means of giving rise to something better. Could the straggling thoughts of individuals be collected, they would frequently form materials for wise and able men to improve into useful matter.

Let the assemblies be annual, with a president only. The representation more equal, their business wholly domestic, and subject to the authority of a Continental Congress.

...to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them a habitual contempt of meanness...(continue)

Let each Colony be divided into six, eight, or ten, convenient districts, each district to send a proper number of Delegates to Congress, so that each Colony send at least thirty. The whole number in Congress will be at least 390. Each congress to sit and to choose a President by the following method. When the Delegates are met, let a Colony be taken from the whole thirteen Colonies by lot, after which let the Congress choose (by ballot) a president from out of the Delegates of that Province. In the next Congress, let a Colony be taken by lot from twelve only, omitting that Colony from which the president was taken in the former Congress, and so proceeding on till the whole thirteen shall have had their proper rotation. And in order that nothing may pass into a law but what is satisfactorily just, not less than three fifths of the Congress to be called a majority. He that will promote discord, under a government so equally formed as this, would have joined Lucifer in his revolt.

But as there is a peculiar delicacy from whom, or in what manner, this business must first arise, and as it seems most agreeable and consistent that it should come from some intermediate body between the governed and the governors, that is, between the Congress and the People, let a Continental Conference be held in the following manner, and for the following purpose.

A Committee of twenty -six members of congress, viz. Two for each Colony. Two Members from each House of Assembly, or Provincial

...abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue...(continue)

Convention; and five Representatives of the people at large, to be chosen in the capital city or town of each Province, for, and in behalf of the whole Province, by as many qualified voters as shall think proper to attend from all parts of the Province for that purpose; or, if more convenient, the Representatives may be chosen in two or three of the most populous parts thereof. In this conference, thus assembled, will be united the two grand principles of business, knowledge and power. The Members of Congress, Assemblies, or Conventions, by having had experience in national concerns, will be able and useful counsellors, and the whole, being impowered by the people, will have a truly legal authority.

The conferring members being met, let their business be to frame a Continental Charter, or Charter of the United Colonies; (answering to what is called the Magna Charta of England) fixing the number and manner of choosing Members of Congress, Members of Assembly, with their date of sitting; and drawing the line of business and jurisdiction between them: Always remembering, that our strength is Continental, not Provincial. Securing freedom and property to all men, and above all things, the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; with such other matter as it is necessary for a charter to contain. Immediately after which, the said conference to dissolve, and the bodies which shall be chosen conformable to the Legislators and Governors of time being: Whose peace and preserve. AMEN.

Should any body of men be hereafter delegated for this or some similar purpose, I offer them the following extracts from that wise observer on Governments, Dragonetti. “The science,” says he, “of the Politician consists in fixing the true point of happiness and freedom. Those men would deserve the gratitude of ages, who should discover a mode of government that contained the greatest sum of individual happiness, with the least national expense.” (Dragonetti on “Virtues and Reward.”)

But where, say some, is the King of America? I’ll tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Great Britain. Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in earthly honours, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the Charter; let it be brought forth placed on the Divine Law, the Word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other. But lest any ill use should afterwards arise, let the Crown at the conclusion of the ceremony be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is.

A government of our own is our natural right: and when a man seriously reflects on the precariousness of human affairs, he will become convinced, that it is infinitely wiser and safer, to form a constitution of our own in a cool deliberate manner, while we have it in our power, than to trust

such an interesting event to time and chance. If we omit it now, some Massanello may hereafter arise, who, laying hold of popular disquietudes, may collect together the desperate and the discontented, and by assuming to themselves the powers of government, finally sweep away the liberties of the Continent like a deluge.

Should the government of America return, again into the hands of Britain, the tottering situation of things will be a temptation for some desperate adventurer to try his fortune; and in such a case, what relief can Britain give? Ere she could hear the news, the fatal business might be done; and ourselves suffering like the wretched Britons under the oppression of the Conqueror. Ye that oppose independance now, ye know not what ye do: ye are opening a door to eternal tyranny, by keeping vacant the seat of government. There are thousands and tens of thousands, who would think it glorious to expel from the Continent, that barbarous and hellish power, which hath stirred up the Indians and the Negroes to destroy us; the cruelty hath a double guilt, it is dealing brutally by us, and treacherously by them.

To talk of friendship with those in whom our reason forbids us to have faith, and our affections wounded thro’ a thousand pores instruct us to detest, is madness and folly. Every day wears out the little remains of kindred between us and them; and can there be any reason to hope, that as the relationship expires, the affection will encrease, or that we shall agree better when we have ten times more and

,,,If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives” - John Adams

greater concerns to quarrel over than ever?

Ye that tell us of harmony and reconciliation, can ye restore to us the time that is past? Can ye give to prostitution its former innocence? neither can ye reconcile Britain and America. The last cord now is broken, the people of England are presenting addresses against us. There are injuries which nature cannot forgive; she would cease to be nature if she did. As well can the lover forgive the ravisher of his mistress, as the Continent forgive the murders of Britain. The Almighty hath implanted in us these unextinguishable feelings for good and wise purposes. They are the Guardians of his Image in our hearts. They distinguish us from the herd of common animals. The social compact would dissolve, and justice be extirpated from the earth, or have only a casual existence were we callous to the touches of affection. The robber and the murderer would often escape unpunished, did not the injuries which our tempers sustain, provoke us into justice. O! ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the Globe. Asia and Africa have long expelled her. Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her warning to depart. O! receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.

“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe and preserve order in the world as well as property...Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them” - Thomas Paine

May 27, 1776

In May 1776, Richard Henry Lee reported that the American army had a parade of two to three thousand men to impress the Iroquois with the strength of the United States. Lee’s hope was “to secure the friendship of these people.”

Twenty-one Iroquois Indians had come to meet with Congress and for over a month, they as they lodged as guests on the second floor of the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall). There they would observe the operations of the Continental Congress and its president, John Hancock. On June 11, 1776, while the question of independence was being debated, the visiting Iroquois chiefs were formally invited into the meeting hall of the Congress. A speech was given where the Indians were addressed as “Brothers” and told of the delegates’ wish that the “friendship” between them would “continue as long as the sun shall shine” and the “waters run.”

The speech expressed a trust that the new Americans and the Iroquois act “as one people and have but one heart.” Following the speech, an Onondaga chief requested permission to give John Hancock an Indian name. The Congress graciously accepted and the President of the Continental Congress was given the name Karanduawn ... “The Great Tree.” And so he was!

Karanduawn translates to "The Great Tree" or "Great Tree of Liberty". It refers to the White Pine, the "Tree of Peace" used by the Peacemaker to form the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

A ROYAL FIGHT FOR THE

"WHENSOEVER HOSTILE AGGRESSIONS…REQUIRE A RESORT TO WAR, WE MUST MEET OUR DUTY AND CONVINCE THE WORLD THAT WE ARE JUST FRIENDS AND BRAVE ENEMIES” - Thomas Jefferson

"OPPRESSORS CAN TYRANNIZE ONLY WHEN THEY ACHIEVE A STANDING ARMY, AN ENSLAVED PRESS, AND A DISARMED POPULACE” - James Madison

As the troubles in the colonies were brewing, George Washington wrote Congress: “In my opinion it will be impossible to keep them in a state of Neutrality - they must, and no doubt soon will, take an Active part, either for or against us, and I submit it to the consideration of Congress whether it would not be best immediately to engage them on our side, and to use our utmost endeavours to prevent their minds being poison’d by Ministerial Emmissaries, which will ever be the Case while a King’s Garrison is suffered to remain in their Country.”

This concern was correct. The Native American Indian communities did not always make unanimous decisions about which side to support. The Cherokee nation was split between a faction that supported the colonists and another that sided with Britain. The Iroquois Confederacy, an alliance of six Native American nations in New York, too were divided by the Revolutionary War.

Two of the nations, the Oneida and Tuscarora, chose to side with the Americans while the other nations, including the Mohawk, fought with the British. Hundreds of years of peaceful coexistence and cooperation between the Six Nations came to an end, as warriors from the different nations fought one another on Revolutionary War battlefields.

And so, they did. The British Colonel Guy Johnson and Joseph Brant, the pro-British Mohawk, returned to New York from a visit to England. While in London, Brant had been warmly received and highly honored; George Romney even painted his portrait. Brant had become more than ever convinced that the Indians’ future lay with the British Crown and not with the American colonists After distinguishing himself at the Battle of Long Island, Brant slipped through the patriot lines in order to return to Iroquoia and bring his countrymen into the fight against the Americans In conjunction with Colonel Butler, the British commander at Fort Niagara, in time Brant succeeded in getting four of the six Iroquois nations to take up the hatchet against the Americans. More on that, next issue.

were similarly courting the George III had demanded distress the Americans

"TO PRESERVE LIBERTY, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE WHOLE

POSSESS ARMS AND BE TAUGHT

Las Vegas, Nevada June 6, 2026

BODY OF PEOPLE ALWAYS

ALIKE, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUNG, HOW TO USE THEM ”

Richard Henry Lee

“Day of Gratitude” is live, nationwide celebration commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. The event will honor America’s Greatest Generation patriots (with a tribute to World War II heroes of D-Day in Normandy, France), and all the men and women who have served America - along with their families who have sacrificed so much to make their service possible. It’s the biggest Veteran & Military exclusive event in the history of the US with a mission to help unite America.”

“Day of Gratitude uniquely cultivates esteem, awareness, and honor in the hearts of Americans for our heroes that transcends our diverse backgrounds and differences...It offers a beautiful opportunity to unite around the transformative force of a grateful heart.” says, Dominic Russo of Love Has No Limits, who with CityServe and Voice of the Veteran are hosting “Day of Gratitude” at Allegiant Stadium, in Las Vegashome of the Las Vegas Raiders. You are invited to attend or watch on Fox News at home.

“The greatest act of love is to lay down one’s life for another - That is exactly what our service members and veterans have been willing to do for our nation. Day of Gratitude exists so that we, the beneficiaries of their sacrifice, can pause and publicly honor them with gratitude, dignity, and tangible support.”

- Wendell Vinson CityServe Co-Founder and CEO

“The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed” - Alexander Hamilton

• A special awards ceremony

• Live music and entertainment

• Family friendly activities

• On-site access to vital support services and resources for veterans and military families

• Gratitude gifts during and following the event for every family

This event, which is being observed on D-Day, the historic anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, will also feature a tribute honoring the men and women who served our nation in World War II. It was their courage, resilience, and self-sacrifice that kept the world free, secured liberty for many generations, and earned their distinction as “The Greatest Generation.”

The inaugural Day of Gratitude, held on June 8, 2024, had more than 15,000 registered veterans, service members, and family members. The event featured a large-scale awards ceremony, live performances by Walker Hayes and Danny Gokey, an immersive “Escape Reality” experience with illusionists Garry and Jamnine Carson, 49 resource booths, and the distribution of $3 million in gratitude gifts and resources to military families.

"AMERICANS

UNLIKE THE CITIZENSOF OTHER COUNTRIES WHOSE GOVERNMENTS ARE

TO TRUST THE PEOPLE WITH ARMS” - James Madison

On June 6, 1944, “D-Day” - The Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. A perspective to consider as we all watch the events of the world today:

Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day, made up of major forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and 12 other Allied nations. Roughly 23,400 airborne troops jumped into Normandy from 822 aircraft and gliders. 34,000+ Americans came ashore at Omaha alone. there were over 7,000 naval vessels; including 4,000 landing craft, 1,200 warships, and around 12,000 aircraft that supporting the invasion.

THE ENTIRE WORLD WOULD BE WISE TO RE-CONSIDER what Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gen Omar Bradley, and all the troops under their command and by orders of the Commander-inChief (President Roosevelt) - were able to accomplish for the entire world.

By the end of June, the Allies had landed more than 850,000 troops, 570,000 tons of supplies, and nearly 150,000 vehicles across the beaches of Normandy. There would be months of hard fighting in Europe with nearly 10,000 dead (2,501 U.S. soldiers), before the Nazis finally surrendered in May 1945. The D-Day invasion gave the Allies the success they needed to initiate the campaigns that would lead to the liberation of occupied Europe. Can we hear the world say today, what the entire world said then: “Thank You, America” Certainly, it would be nice to hear this at home.

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong He may hurl back our forces Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.”

- President Franklin D. Roosevelt

National Radio broadcast prayer heard by millions across America, being asked to join the President in seeking the aid & protection of God for the troops. (An iconic U.S./Presidential prayer beseeching God at history’s 1944 critical moment.

"EVERY CITIZEN SHOULD BE A SOLDIER. THIS WAS THE CASE WITH THE GREEKS AND THE ROMANS AND MUST BE THAT OF EVERY FREE STATE” - Thomas Jefferson

During the entire Battle of Normandy from June August, Allied forces suffered over 73 000 deaths with another 153 000 wounded You might be asking, “What was all the fighting for?” The answer Allied forces fought to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation, destroy Hitler’s regime, and restore freedom to the world Tune into the “Day of Gratitude” to find out more REMEMBER YOUNG AMERICA, FREEDOM ISN’T FREE

“The militia, who are in fact the effective part of the people at large, will render many troops quite unnecessary. They will form a powerful check upon the regular troops and will generally be sufficient to over-awe them” - Tench Coxe

June 7, 1776

FREEDOM BACK THEN, WASN’T FREE EITHER, BUT OUR FOREFATHERS SURE THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH FIGHTING FOR THEY FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR ALL OF .

THIS IS WELL WORTH REMEMBERING, TODAY... ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY “THE UNITED STATES”

Throughout the 1770s, huge numbers of colonists were becoming convinced that British Parliament’s intent was to take away their freedom. When fighting broke out in Massachusetts in the spring of 1775, and the King having declared the colonists "in a state of open and avowed rebellion,” this made things more certain and for the first time, the colonies began to seriously consider cutting ties with Britain. Delegates were elected to attend a Continental Congress, which eventually became the governing body of the Colonial Union during the Revolution.

At its second meeting in Philadelphia in 1775. The convening delegates, adopted strict rules of secrecy to protect the cause of American liberty and their own lives, as well. In less than a year, most of the delegates had abandoned hope of reconciliation with Britain, and on June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution "that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states," acting under the instruction of the Virginia Convention.

Taking these resolutions to heart, the Congress on June 11, appointed three concurrent committees: The first, to draft a declaration of independence; the second, to draw up a plan "for forming foreign alliances;" and the third, to "prepare and digest the form of a confederation.”

Still, many members of the Congress believed Lee’s proposed actions to be premature. They wanted instructions from their colonies before voting and the Resolution’s approval was deferred until July 2.

On that date, Congress adopted the first part - The declaration of Independence, with the words of the Lee Resolution being echoed throughout

“Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances.

That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.”

"We have acted together from the origin to the end of a memorable revolution, and we have contributed, each in the line allotted us, our endeavors to render it's issue, a permanent blessing to our country” - Thomas Jefferson

"These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States” - Richard Henry Lee Constitutional Sound Bites by David Shestokas - shestokas.com

“A

diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty” - James Madison

June 11, 1776

The Declaration of Independence was to be crafted for multiple purposes: Its aim was to Address the King, the colonists, and the world.

Its goals were to rally the troops, win foreign allies, and to announce to all, the creation of a new country.

The opening sentence states the Declaration’s main purpose: The colonists had a right to be free...and they were going to be - UNITED!!!

“To declare the causes which impel them to the separation,” Congress had to prove the legitimacy of its cause. This document would defy the most powerful nation on Earth, and It needed to motivate foreign allies to join the fight. Revolution... in other words, needed capable men with the ability to craft words well.

These five men did a remarkable job of setting the course for freedom.

The Committee Of Five Drafting Declaration Of Independence Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Livingston, Sherman

“Our

unalterable resolution

should

be

to be free” - Sam Adams

June 12, 1776

The Virginia Convention adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, which also served as a basis for the later Declaration of Independence.

On this special day in 1776, The Virginia Convention formally adopted the Virginia State Constitution and officially created the Commonwealth of Virginia. The committee’s Declaration of Rights, began with the following words:

“A declaration of rights made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation ofgovernment ”

"Happiness and Prosperity are now within our Reach; but to attain & preserve them must depend upon our own Wisdom and Virtue."

- George Mason

Founding Father George Mason

And there you have it, America - We’ve heard it over-and-over, again: the keys to preserving the happiness and prosperity that was acquired for U S 250 years ago, and now certainly within our grasp, if we will apply these valuable keys are:

Wisdom and Virtue

On that historic day in Virginia in 1776, rather than throwing a public party to celebrate their declared inherent rights, they employed wisdom and got to work Establishing a framework for independence and forming a new, sovereign government would require intensive political work and the pressure was on. The party would wait...

“a good moral character is the first essential in a man… It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous” - George Washington

It is hard to know exactly when “America” decided that complete independence from Britain was necessary and desirable. For ten years, Ben Franklin, had both hoped for and despaired of the breach. But by early July 1775, a year before his fellow American patriots made their own stance official, Ben knew this could not be avoided. He made his private declaration public, and on this Day in Virginia, his influence led to a unanimous decision for the Delegates to form an “All American” Draft and the underpinnings of the first TEAM USA!

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250 is rather certain that all of these, first-round “All American” Forefather Patriots would be “happy” to hear of the “prosperity” of the nation today, and that on the 250th Anniversary of their intense work, the 250th party they fought and died to have, is soon about to start - especially with a virtuous tone.

Guided by the Wisdom and Virtue they compelled U.S. to, let this be a party of shared unity of “Body, Mind, and Spirit,” in honor of our forefathers and mothers, who bestowed upon U.S. a great nation for ourselves and our posterity. This is now your day to sign-on as an “All American” (and to be like Ben, in leading the next

"THEY ACCOMPLISHED A REVOLUTION WHICH HAS NO PARALLEL IN THE ANNALS OF HUMAN SOCIETY. THEY REARED THE FABRICS OF GOVERNMENTS WHICH HAVE NO MODEL ON THE FACE OF THE GLOBE. THEY FORMED THE DESIGN OF A GREAT CONFEDERACY, WHICH IT IS INCUMBENT ON THEIR SUCCESSORS TO IMPROVE AND PERPETUATE” - James Madison

June 14, 2026

249th Flag Day of the U.S. “Place Your Hand Over Heart”

249th Flag Day, is celebrated on June 14th. This is the date when, in 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed an act adopted the “Stars and Stripes” As the Official Flag of the United States.

The Original 1777 Resolution Read:

“Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The “First Stars and Stripes 1977” 6-cent stamp was issued July 4, 1968

PLACE YOUR HAND OVER

When the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act on June 14, 1777, the Revolutionary War was just one-year into fighting...and there were no indications that the war was going to end quickly. The casualties were high and morale was low. To boost the troops and show unity with the Continental Army, it was deemed necessary to establish an official flag for the new nation. This act set forth the model of the American flag, and “The Betsy Ross” flag was born to the Unites States of America.

“The 6-cent First Stars and Stripes” stamp on the previous page depicts the flag that the Continental Congress adopted as the national emblem. The Continental Congress did not mandate how the stars were to be arranged, which has subsequently resulted in the many star arrangements on the flag over the years. For the first official flag the thirteen stars were arranged in the famous circle. The last change to the flag was on JULY 4, 1960, after Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states on January 3rd,1959 and August 21st, 1959 (Respectively).

“The cement of this union is in the heart blood of every American. I do not believe there is on earth a government established on so immovable a basis” - Thomas Jefferson

“Every child in America should be acquainted with his own country. He should read books that furnish him with ideas that will be useful to him in life and practice. As soon as he opens his lips, he should rehearse the history of his own country” - Noah Webster

The High Schooler Who Designed The 50 Star American Flag

By Mark Soroka, for the National Flag Foundation

While most of his high school classmates took a more conventional approach for their class project, Bob G. Heft decided to do something a little more ambitious He set out to redesign the American flag.

It was 1958 and Heft’s history teacher, Stanley Pratt, asked his class to make anything they wanted and bring it in for a show-and-tell At that time, America had 48 states, but there was talk that Alaska and Hawaii might be soon be joining the Union

Heft, a junior at Lancaster High School in Ohio, began to imagine what the American flag might look like if it had 50 stars. His inspiration was none other that Betsy Ross, who is credited as the maker of the first American flag. Heft spent more than 12 hours cutting 50 white stars from iron-on material, adhering the stars to a piece of blue cloth and sewing the new field of stars to his parents’ 48-star American flag. He cleverly arranged the 50 stars into a field that included five rows of six stars and four rows of five stars.

When Heft brought his flag to school, his teacher was not impressed “He told me, ‘Why you got too many stars? You don’t even know how many states we have’,” Heft recounted years later. Heft only got a Bfor his project However, Heft was given a chance to improve his grade if he convinced the U S government to use his flag. The odds were heavily stacked against him, but Heft was on a mission.

He began writing letters and making calls to the White House, asking the president to look at his flag.

Two years later, after Alaska and Hawaii became states, Heft received a surprise call from President Dwight D. Eisenhower with the news he was waiting for. His flag was chosen as the model for the new 50star flag. On July 4, 1960, President Eisenhower invited Heft to Washington, D C , for a flag raising ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Even Heft’s history teacher was impressed “He said, ‘I guess if it’s good enough for Washington, it’s good enough for me,” recalled Heft. “I hereby change the grade to an A.’” Since then, Heft’s banner has set a new-record as the longest-tenured U S flag

Heft went to work as a professor at Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio and served as mayor of Napoleon, Ohio. He also became a highly regarded motivational speaker, and he visited the White House 14 times.

Always one to think ahead, Heft also designed a 51star American flag, just in case Washington, D C or Puerto Rico, becomes a state. Heft’s 51-star flag reportedly has six rows of stars alternating between rows of nine and eight Heft, who died in 2009 at the age of 67, will be forever known as the student who designed the 50-star American flag.

PLACE YOUR HAND OVER HEART FOR THIS

Betsy Ross is credited with sewing the first United States flag. She is a symbol of patriotism and celebrated as the woman who helped George Washington finish the flag’s design.

Betsy Ross You lift U.S. Up!

“Peace is the best time for improvement and preparation of every kind; it is in peace that our commerce flourishes most, that taxes are most easily paid, and that the revenue is most productive” -

James Monroe

When Freedom, from her mountain height, Unfurled her standard to the air, She tore the azure robe of night, And set the stars of glory there; She mingled with its gorgeous dyes

The milky baldric of the skies, And striped its pure, celestial white With streakings of the morning light; Then, from his mansion in the sun, She called her eagle bearer down, And gave into his mighty hand, The symbol of her chosen land.

JUNE 1946

"THERE IS NOTHING SO LIKELY TO PRODUCE PEACE AS TO BE WELL PREPARED TO MEET AN ENEMY” - George Washington

“The American-Flag Caped Crusader”

President Donald J. Trump’s 80th Birthday “Bash!”

JUNE 2026

On the lawn of the White House ... “It’s set to be a “knock-out” party”

June 14, 2026

“Here’s to the whole of it: Stars, stripes and pole of it, Body and soul of it; O, and the roll of it, Sun shining through; Hearts in accord for it, Swear by the sword for it, Thanking the Lord for it, Red White and Blue!”

A “Flag Day Birthday Gift”... fit for the President

"FREEDOM AND NOT SERVITUDE IS THE CURE OF ANARCHY: AS RELIGION. AND NOT ATHEISM IS THE TRUE REMEDY FOR SUPERSTITION.” - Edmund Burke

June 15, 1776

These are the amazing words that stirred Americans to put their lives on the line for the cause for Liberty eparating from the motherland which threatened security, economic stability, and “American” identity prompted Jefferson’s immortal words that would inspire unite “America” through the vision of better life.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect, their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. “

- Thomas Jefferson - Writer of the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence

“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and to influence their actions”

- John Hancock

At a time when kings asserted they were personally chosen by God, with an absolute right to rule (themselves being above the Law), you might say power had gone to their head. However, just having that thought & challenging the King’s power was deemed both treasonous and an act of defiance against God himself. A pretty good way of keeping everything in check.

Enter the Magna Carta...the historic moral and political document that changed things and a cornerstone America’s foundation was built upon.

The Magna Carta, was signed by the King on the historic date of June 15th, 1215, to settle an intense political dispute between the King England and a group of barons who were challenging King John’s absolute right to rule. Way to go barons!

The Magna Carta came to represent the ideal that “the people” can assert their rights against an oppressive ruler. These concepts of government power being limited (to protect citizens), were well known & foundational to Jefferson’s words in the Preamble and Declaration of Independence.

June 15, 1776

"Delaware Separation Day" - The day Delaware voted to cancel government rule under the Crown.

Back then, Americans knew their history and they were sure to have known this was a historic day...

They certainly would have known the Magna Carta was the seed of freedom which constitutionally limited government. The early American foundation was steeped in this historical knowledge. Their forefathers (the first English settlers coming to the shores of “America”), brought this history with them - in the form of their own charters under authority of the King. They were wise in learning and in teaching the importance of this history to their children. Children were also wise to listened as is proved out by the actions of this very day...

In 1606, The Virginia Charter promised English settlers the same “liberties, franchises and immunities” as people born in England. A decade later in 1620, the Puritans, who had hoped reforms would allow them independence when King James came to power - but soon finding out otherwise - made a covenant of their own with God: ”To walk in all his ways made known, or to be made known, unto them, according to their best endeavours, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them,”

“It is favourable to liberty - Freedom can exist only in the society of knowledge. Without learning, men are incapable of knowing their rights, and where learning is confined to a few people, liberty can be neither equal nor universal.” Benjamin Rush

Assist them the Lord did, by way of a small boat to the new world, and the establishment of a “compact” of their own (that they constructing while on board), which established a "civil body politic" to create just laws and ensure “the groups” survival. In 1629, The Massachusetts Bay Company charter also acknowledged the rights of the settlers to be treated as “free and natural subjects.”

And then there was William Penn, who all of Delaware would have known about. Penn was an early American leader and founder of Pennsylvania (of which Delaware was a part until 1704, when it created its own independent legislature). All would have learned that at one point, Penn had been imprisoned in the Tower of London for his political and religious views and had written the “Charter of Privileges Granted by William Penn, esq. to the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania and Territories” that citizens lived by. William Penn directly incorporated Magna Carta protections into the laws governing his American colonies, which included Delaware.

“Wear none of thine own chains; but keep free, whilst thou art free.”

- William Penn

Penn had written the “Charter of Privileges

Granted by William Penn, esq. to the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania and Territories” that citizens lived by. William Penn directly incorporated Magna Carta protections into the laws governing his American colonies, which included Delaware

In 1687, William Penn, published a pamphlet entitled: “The Excellent Privilege of Liberty and Property: being the birth-right of the Free-Born Subjects of England,” which contained, the first copy of Magna Carta printed in what was become the “United States ”

The pamphlet was designed to educate colonists on their legal rights and secure freedoms under English law. It was part of Penn's ongoing efforts to protect his colony's autonomy and the rights its inhabitants. Indeed, those in Delaware would have know about the Magna Carta and this historic date of June 15th. It would have been impossible for the citizens of Delaware, this day, not recognize the significance the Magna Carta played upon their decision to declare their separation from British rule. Delaware’s legal and political structure was profoundly influenced the 1215 Magna Carta, which established the "rule of law" and the foundational “due process” principles for the state's constitution and liberties

On this day, June 15, 1776, the citizens celebrated a formal separation and the British Crown Delaware State”

“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution”

- Thomas Jefferson

June 28, 1776

A Battle that shocked the world..

“This will not be believed when it is first reported in England”... “We never had such a drubbing in our lives,”

- Royal Navy Sailor

The Battle of Sullivan's Island, was the first decisive patriot victory over the British Royal Navy. This historic day protected Charleston during the critical early stages of the American Revolution. The victory is celebrated to this day in South Carolina - now the 250th celebration.

"This glorious Example of our Troops, under the like Circumstances with us, The General hopes will animate every officer, and soldier, to imitate, and even out do them, when the enemy shall make the same attempt on us With such a bright example before us, of what can be done by brave and spirited men, fighting in defence of their Country; we shall be loaded with a double share of Shame, and Infamy, if we do not acquit ourselves with Courage, or a determined Resolution to conquer or die With this hope and confidence, and that this Army will have its equal share of Honour, and Success With such preparation, and a suitable Spirit, there can be no doubt, but by the blessing of Heaven, we shall repel our cruel Invaders preserve our Country, and gain the greatest Honor ”

General George Washington

250thAnniversary

The Battle of Sullivan's Island

“Those that can give up essential liberty to gain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety” - Benjamin Franklin

June 28, 1776

Maryland reverses course

Despite the Crown’s stated intent to crush the rebellious Americans with force, not many Marylanders, were yet willing to forever abandon their ties to the Motherland, or to establish a totally new form of “American” government.

As of late May 1776, the Maryland Convention forcefully, mandated instructions to its delegates in Congress that they were not to vote for independence without the express approval of the Convention.

However, equal pressure was being brought to bear, and no matter how much the delegates were "persuaded” with the idea that “a re-union with Great Britain on constitutional principles would most effectually secure the rights and liberties and increase the strength and promote the happiness of the whole empire," the Convention could not overrule the mounting pressure for independence and a new government for the province.

For example, one issue of the Maryland Gazette printed an article signed "American," decrying the ambivalence of the Convention which sat in Annapolis. “This "American," the article read, “believes the only viable course of action was a declaration of independence and a new form of “American” must have had because on the following day, Convention reversed its

instructions to the Maryland congressional delegation, now authorizing them to vote for independence. The Maryland Convention found it could no longer tolerate the embarrassment of having two governments working at odds with one another. With instructions from the Convention, its delegates to the Continental Congress, cast their vote for independence from Great Britain.

Samuel Chase wrote that night to John Adams: "1 shall offer no other apology for concluding than that I am this moment from our House to procure an express to follow the post with a Unanimous vote of our Convention for Independence. ... our people have fire if not smothered. .. .Now for a government.” Samuel Chase, who persuaded Maryland to declare its own independence on July 6th, did not hear of the Continental Congress's action of July 4th until the 10th. Not everyone in Maryland was as enthusiastic about independence as Chase. Citizens realized that enormous sacrifices would be required before England would give up claim to her former colonies. However, once the Maryland die had been cast amongst the lot of the other colonies and citizens accepting the idea of independence, her political leaders moved quickly, to create a government that would make the “Maryland Government” a reality.

"WE HAVE NO GOVERNMENT ARMED WITH POWER CAPABLE OF CONTENDING WITH HUMAN PASSIONS, UNBRIDLED BY MORALITY AND RELIGION….OUR CONSTITUTION WAS MADE ONLY FOR A MORAL AND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. IT IS WHOLLY INADEQUATE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ANY OTHER” - John Adams

June 28, 1776

The Final Draft

These five Founding Fathers had to exercise great leadership and courage, knowing that just in the writing, there would be great risk to their very lives in drafting this “Declaration of Independence ”

The task was set before these brave men, and they all took the job very seriously & prayerfully. The Nation depended on both aspects, as these Leaders were called upon to write the words that would establish and give guidance to the nation.

These great leaders and statesmen, wellunderstand that influencing all the colonies and its citizens, was of high importance. Being able to work side-by-side each other, to write a document that was going to get everyone heading in the right direction, was a most challenging task. Not only did their words have to stand up to the scrutiny of the Continental Congress, these words (meant for their Colonial times), would also be immortalized, for U.S. today - They had to be good. And they were!

To much fanfare and acclaim, the “Committee of Five” did quite a masterful job. The entire world would soon (and for perpetuity), benefit from their adept craftmanship of words. If “We The People” are wise today, we should easily recognize the importance their example and influence had on people getting along in matters of politics and the societal behaviors that would shape the future.

The “Committee of Five” submitted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress and the rest would be “HISTORY.”

This 250th Anniversary, the Spirit of these men and their effort, lives on. ”We the People” have much to celebrate and even more to contemplate in the way we choose to move the nation to be...

“Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike”

- Alexander Hamilton

June 29, 1776

The first signals of the British fleet coming to New York were spotted from Staten Island. General William Howe, commander of the British troops, had plans to take control of New York City. Remember, after the Siege of Boston, which lasted from April 1775 to March 1776, the British retreated to Halifax, Nova Scotia to resupply and prepare for their next attack. And where do you suppose that was going to? You guessed it - New York City! And today?

During the early stages of the American Revolution, the commander of the British troops, General William Howe, had planned to take control of New York City. A key location for this takeover was Staten Island, which served as the staging area for the British troops before the landing at Gravesend Bay for the Battle of Brooklyn. The British landing at Gravesend Bay marked the beginning of what is now known as one of the largest battles in American history. As the excitement builds, it’s time for U.S. to keep a watchful eye out. There’s much more to come...Time to spread the word!

The beginnings of a massive British war fleet began arriving late June in New York Harbor, thus signaling the upcoming historic campaign in New York (To be continued - Issue #12)

June 30, 2026

And now dear “All American” citizen, what about you? It’s time for reflection.

The amazing historical journey of the weeks of May-June 1776, are through and only one week remains until the “AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL 250” special July/Aug Edition arrives, to celebrate the extraordinary 250th Birthday of the amazing “United States of America.”

How will you celebrate, as you reflect upon the occasion of your being drafted “All American” TEAM USA250and how will your life be changed by this thoughtful self-reflection of your Awesome American Citizenship and being an “All American” amongst U.S..

These “All American” Leadership traits are timeless, you know? The principles and values of the wise men and women during the American Revolution are still useful today. In any facet of life, these ideas tend to lead to the “Best U.S. Results” for everyone. Our Founding Fathers knew this to be true and guided us with an incredible example and timeless words to live by. We trust you have appreciated the guidance that we all should aspire to live up to. These standards are sure to serve U.S. well!

“When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself” - Benjamin Franklin

Awesome American Citizenship

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity” - Benjamin Franklin

“You will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve YOUR freedom. I hope you will make a good use of it” - John Adams

“Independence Day will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.

It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God

letter to his beloved wife, Abigail