Historical Quotes for This Independence Day

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter & lose our freedoms, it will because we destroyed ourselves." -Abraham Lincoln

"We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each & all of us to govern ourselves, to sustain ourselves, according to the Ten Commandments of God." - James Madison

No people ought to feel the greater obligations to celebrate the goodness of the Great Disposer of events & Destiny of the Nations than the people of the United States... And to the same Divine Author of every good & perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges, & advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land." - James Madison

 "I shall never surrender nor retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of liberty, of patriotism, and of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid... The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country." - Lt. Col. William Barrett Travis (Alamo)

"I have learned that in order to bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try. Each & every one of us can make a difference." - Rosa Parks

 "The law... dictated by God Himself is, of course, superior in obligation to any other. It is binding over all the globe, in all countries, and at all times. No human laws are of any validity if contrary to this." - Alexander Hamilton

 "The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten." - President Calvin Coolidge

 "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

 "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains & slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" - Patrick Henry

 "Every nation or group of nations has its own tale to tell. Knowledge of the trials & struggles is necessary to all who would comprehend the problems, perils, challenges & opportunities which confront us today." - Winston Churchill

 "I have lived a long time & the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that a nation can rise without His aid?" - Benjamin Franklin

 "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

 "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier & the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love & thanks of man & woman. Tyrannny, like Hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph! What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: It is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods & it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be so highly hated." - Patrick Henry

"We are a 'nation under God' as our pledge says, and once we forget that, we've forgotten our heritage. And once we do that, we're no longer America." - Mat Staver