Webster’s defines a patriot quit simply as One who loves and supports his or her country. In speaking of an American patriot, I believe it goes much deeper than that. Patriotism, to me, means more than the flag we fly on the 4th of July, or standing for the national anthem. Being an American patriot means holding fast to the ideals on which our nation was founded, in particular the cause of freedom and justice – not to mention liberty, for all.
Those brave men and women who have fought to establish and preserve the United States of America and the freedoms that we so cherish, deserve to be remembered in perpetuity as nothing less than heroes. Whether it was to establish our independence, to preserve our unity, or for the cause of freedom worldwide, our military personnel have made the highest sacrifice for their fellow citizens. When we think of a patriot, we naturally think of them. But there are countless others in our history that are not so easily recognized by the uniform they wear.
The blessing and curse of our nation is that we are in fact a very young nation still in the process of defining ourselves. We have fought the good fight of freedom against enemies both foreign and domestic. The battlefields on which we have fought have not always been those of military design. Some of the very greatest battles our nation has known have been the ones that have raged in the hearts and consciences of our fellow Americans. We have fought many battles for equality – for the rights envisioned by our founding fathers to be the rights of all. Those warriors who have fought for the rights of their fellow citizens are a very special type of patriot. They are the same type, in fact, as those who fought against the tyranny of British rule. The freedom fighters of our American history. The ones who demanded the basic freedoms they deserved.
An American patriot is an ever evolving creature. Like our Constitution, we as Americans are constantly faced with new scenarios, new situations and the need to be re-examined in the light of a constantly changing world. Our founding fathers couldn’t have imagined the world in which we live today. But in their wisdom they recognized that in order for a nation to survive and thrive in peace, it needed to be a nation by the people and for the people. It needed to be a free nation established on principles of common good for every citizen. Those brave men and women who stood up and fought for our right to be an independent and free nation were our first patriots. That spirit is what has propelled our nation forward ever since, and it is that spirit that I hope to honor with this site – America’s freedom fighters. Their collective story is in essence the story of America.