from my YourTube buddy Wyatt @ wyattmcintyre
It's been recounted several different ways in several different places. I first heard of the Speech of the Unknown reading of Thomas Jefferson a few years back and became fascinated by the story. In 1957 Ronald Reagan used it to talk about freedom in his Eureka Speech, George Lippard wrote of it in his 1840's book Legends of the American Revolution and so did Manly Hall in The Secret Destiny of Americans. Who the speaker was no one knows, of those who believe the story of that 4th of July offer that only the Count of Saint Germain might have had access while others don't offer much of a theory.
I tend to towards the belief that it was a spirit in the air as they debated the Declaration of Independence and the consequences of their action. Each man there knew that by passing this document they would mark themselves a wanted man, subject to the will of the King. Yet despite whatever dangers, whatever harm they might have suffered, they believed enough in freedom to say it doesn't matter, I believe in something more than just my own peace or my own safety.
As we mark another independence day, we must find ourselves asking do we believe in the cause of our freedom and liberty, the cause of this great and noble Republic, that we might live and die not just for ourselves but for the ideals of something greater than ourselves, in the pursuit of that more perfect union?
Independence Day is not just a day on the calendar or a day of the week, it is a spirit deep within us calling us to a better nature towards the actual freedom of all people. Are we ready to meet that challenge?
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