Attribution: John Trumbull, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
By Geoff Carter
About a month ago, my brother, a historian himself, gave me a copy of Rick Atkinson’s The British are Coming, the first volume in his American Revolution trilogy. Mr. Atkinson is a renowned historian, having penned another series, The Liberation Trilogy, about the Allied Victory in the European theater in World War II, as well as various other works about our nation at war, including D-Day, The Persian Gulf Conflict, and more.
Mr. Atkinson’s books are compelling narrative that help history come alive. The British Are Coming, which covers the beginning of the Revolution from 1775-1777, sets the stage for one of the greatest—and most unlikely—military victories since the Battle of Agincourt. Indeed, the victory of the American colonists became the stuff of the American mythos, that democracy, the will of the people, surmounts even the most daunting odds.
If they could see what is happening in Washington, D.C. today, our founding fathers would be spinning in their graves. The courage, integrity, and collective vision that are the building blocks in the foundation of this country are crumbling.
Since President Donald Trump has begun his second term, he has relentlessly and ruthlessly started the process of dismantling our democracy. Using the vast powers of the executive branch, recently expanded and protected by our latest iteration of the Supreme Court, the president has attacked government departments, fired thousands of federal workers, and has illegally frozen funds to states, universities, and international aid programs. Even though he has attacked and is attempting to curtail the power of the media, his illegal attacks upon our democracy have been well-documented. So far.
According to the Constitution, only Congress has the power of the purse. By law, they alone have the power to issue, disburse, and withhold funds. Yet it has been the president who has frozen funds to America’s greatest universities, USAID, the DIH, the Department of Education, and more. How have our senators and representatives, elected to representative the citizens of their home states, reacted? The democratic minority has been vocal, protesting, lobbying the people, and in some cases, filibustering the Senate floor, and generously holding town halls on behalf of their Republican colleagues who don’t want to face their angry constituents. In one case, Wisconsin Democratic Representative Mark Pocan held a town hall on behalf on neighboring Republican Representative Darrick Van Orden—who declined to attend.
Most recently, Democratic Texas state representatives have fled the state to prevent a vote on a redistricting bill championed by President Trump that would add five Republican representatives to the House, thereby guaranteeing the Republican majority. While flight might seem to be counterintuitively opposed to standing and fighting, there seems to be little more than the Dems can do.
It is the members of the Republican Party, at every level of state and federal government, wh fecklessly stood by and watched—or even applauded—as our democracy is being steamrolled into oblivion. The Republican majority in Congress has the power to stop Trump from destroying our government, yet all they do is the governing equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic.
Apparently too afraid of losing their jobs, and, in some cases, living in fear of their lives and safety because of threats by extreme MAGA loyalists, these Republicans, with very few exceptions, have failed to stand up to Donald Trump’s tyrannical rule.
Compare these men and women elected to represent and protect the citizens of their districts, as well as to protect and defend our Constitution, to the patriots of the American Revolution. Faced with oppressive taxes and the overbearing tactics of British rule, the Founding Fathers of our country issued a Declaration of Independence (an affirmation of human rights), formed an independent government and resolved to fight for their independence and sovereignty against the mightiest empire on the face of the Earth. They raised an Army of stalwart patriots. They forged alliances with France and other European powers.
These politicians helped rally the people, organizing The Boston Tea Party and economic boycotts, and encouraged merchants and manufacturers to turn to alternative markets in order to cripple British trade. Bostonians suffered through a months-long blockade by the British fleet, but the citizens did not flinch.
Today’s citizens are not flinching, either. Tens of thousands of nation-wide protests against Trump, DOGE, and his draconian policies have demonstrated the national distaste and disgust with Donald Trump and his insidiousness. His administration has been the source of so much egregious suffering, pain, and devastation, it’s hard to keep track of it all.
On top of his draconian policy, our president is as morally bankrupt as they come. He lies, he breaks the law, and he has tried to topple our government by force. One of his best friends was a convicted pedophile. He is a thousand times worse than King George III, ruler of England during the American Revolution, yet we, the American people, as much as we recognize the danger he poses, cannot stop him.
Where is the backbone, the grit, the determination, and ideological decency that characterized the American Revolution? We had a short glimpse of it when Rep. Liz Cheney refused to buckle down to Donald Trump’s edicts. She lost her election, but you know what? She survived and is doing well. Perhaps more ideals do mean as much—or more—than prestige and money. They sure used to.
Where are the citizens who suffered hunger and other privations during our fight for liberty and the historical installation of our brilliant democracy? Where are they today? Yes, they go to protests, they participate in town halls, are active in the electoral process, but, in the face of this ruthless power-grabbing administration, is that enough?
Will we continue to stand by as innocent U.S. citizens are snatched off the streets by masked ICE thugs? Would the Bostonians of 1775 have stood for that?
Will we continue to simply watch and lament as the president extorts compliance and cooperation from our nation’s greatest universities? Would the Philadelphians of 1775 have stood for that?
Will we continue to ignore Donald Trump’s incessant and disgusting avariciousness as he accepts “gifts” of luxury jet liners and continues to profit—in direct violation of the emolument clauses—from our government taxes? Would the Virginians of 1775 have stood for that?
Will we continue to turn our heads as the malignant policies of this administration result in the deaths of millions of children worldwide and cause the suffering and deaths of unvaccinated children at home? Would the people of Providence of 1775 have stood for that?
Today’s politicians are fond of citing what they believe were the intentions of our Founding Fathers, yet it seems as if they have precious little concept of what those intentions were or what they were grounded in.
Liberty, equal rights, and justice are not just words. And they’re not easy. For decades—centuries—Americans have been able to exist in a place where a sturdy system of government has made them safe, free, and able to pursue opportunity. Now, for the first time in a very long time, these privileges are in danger of being taken away.
Ask yourself. What would the people of 1775 have done? What would Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, James Madison, or Ben Franklin have done?
What will you do?