The Price They Paid For Freedom

From a reader here:

As we reflect on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we should remember what independence actually cost. 

 

The American Revolution lasted eight years (1775–1783), with more than two dozen major battles and engagements across North America. Tens of thousands died from combat, disease, and exposure. 

 

At Valley Forge, Washington’s army nearly collapsed during the winter of 1777–78 from starvation, cold, and disease, surviving only through endurance and discipline. 

 

In British prison ships anchored in Wallabout Bay, New York Harbor, thousands of American prisoners endured overcrowding, disease, and starvation. Many died, their bodies carried out and discarded overboard without proper burial. Even then, many refused British offers of release in exchange for renouncing the Patriot cause. 

 

This is the human cost behind the Declaration of Independence, which lit the fuse of liberty in 1776. The Revolutionary generation’s greatest gift though was igniting ideas that would fuel the enduring quest for freedom for all. 

 

Such sacrifice calls for more than remembrance. It calls for a renewed commitment to justice, dignity, and freedom for all. 


Aristophanes
Dr. Richard F. Griffiths