Today marks a very important anniversary in United States history. April 19th was the day which the battles of Lexington and Concord between American revolutionaries and British troops. That makes today, April 20th, the first full day which America was at war.
Reflect on that for a moment. Revolutions are usually marked with months and years of unease and anticipation then in a single crucial moment those who are brave step forward and declare that they are ready to hold fast no matter the consequences.
Revolutions, as we know, are not always violent. Look at the many democratic revolutions which took place in Eastern and Central Europe at the conclusion of the Cold War, while many died their revolutions were peaceful as they bravely stared down their oppressors. In the American colony Jefferson's logic, Paine's law, and Franklin's social commentaries were not enough - they needed Washington's military bravery before freedom was won.
April 20th of 1775 was not the day of the "shot heard 'round the world" but it was the critical day after. The day the American people committed themselves to the promise of freedom. The promise of freedom that may not have reached all people at once but in its promise has freed the peoples of the United States and many others around the world.
What does that promise mean to you? How are you reviving that promise everyday? What can be done to keep the flame of hope alive for those whose freedoms are mere memories and dreams?
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