John Adams: On Our Freedoms" -School Law

[cherokeedoll1]

untill we start stadning together as a people,,,standing up and demanding that whats been going on in our country stop,,,and demand our leaders go by our constitution..untill then..we are on the road to losing the freedoms our fonders gave to us. Its up to us to hold onto our freedom..we each have a responability to this. It will take us all,,because there is more of us than there are them..We just need to stand together..No matter what!!

[kingslegion1]

if every child in america could just see this scene as i was told it when i was a child.. then we would not have the problems we have today.. tho i hat hollywood with a passion .. i must commend the makers of this film.. VERY GOOD and if folks would just have thier children and themselvse observe this.. we would be FREE, these men pledged their LIVES, their FORTUNES, their sacred HONOR

[kingslegion1]

if every child in america could just see this scene as i was told it when i was a child.. then we would not have the problems we have today.. tho i hat hollywood with a passion .. i must commend the makers of this film.. VERY GOOD and if folks would just have thier children and themselvse observe this.. we would be FREE

[gscarpa6]

are founding fathers are turning over in there graves if they new how are goverment has conducted themselfs inthis bad economics time spending out of control enemployment out of control health care out of control and on and on may god have mercy on there souls

[lastminuteregret]

@gscarpa6 Out framers hated the way America was going even 20 years after the Revolution, so of course they'd not even recognize us today. They'd also laugh at how we've turned them into cult icons and symbols of our freedom. They considered themselves ordinary citizens doing their duty, not heroes. But the fact is that the founding fathers did believe in spending money - which is ironic.

[WiseGuy5674]

To all you 'slavery' commenter's...John Adams never owned slaves. And the show IS call "John Adams"

[IslandersMets10]

It's funny how secession is celebrated when the colonies seceded from the british empire and they still had slaves. Yet, when the south wanted to secede, not for slavery although it probably would have continued for a few more years...the south is spit upon. Screw that. Secession is a right!

Deo Vindice!

[TylerMaple3009]

@IslandersMets10 Though I agree that the South should not have been spat on, we must remember America wanted to secede because they had no representation in Parliment

[IslandersMets10]

@TylerMaple3009 And the south had no representation in D.C!.  Just look at the electorial map from 1861

[Jononutoob]

Get rid of the banks. Get rid of the loyalists who are still with us.

[timcp1]

"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were. . . . the general principles of Christianity.”—John Adams to Thomas Jefferson on June 28, 1813--John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1856), Vol. X, pp. 45-46

[DsaiTheWhite]

@timcp1 The ellipse there just screams "I'm out of context," regardless of whether it is...

[timcp1]

@DsaiTheWhite Not if you actually read the source. "Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company: I mean hell." No ellipse.

John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1856), Vol. X, p. 254, to Thomas Jefferson on April 19, 1817.

[boredlikehell2008]

I thought he was going to burst into song when he got to 'all that I have all that I am'

[chufuss]

"Not an Empire"....speak it!

[Monorprise]

They risked their lives and sacrificed by more then simply putting their names upon a paper, they served in the army and expended their treasure to help us win our freedom. But what is most remarkable about them is their wisdom, virtues and commitment to the cause of liberty. Particularly George Washington who could have been King if he had wanted to, but he Choose to step down, to give up power something remarkable. Because he believed in liberty not nobility!

[Monorprise]

You can call them slave owning elites all you want, and its true some (not all) of them were. But a man must be judged not by the wealth in his pocket but the virtues in his heart.

Theses men with the exception of Hamilton did not want elite control over the people for themselves they wanted freedom. You call the elite but theses men were treated as subjects by the British elite, they knew what it meant to be a commoner as thats all they were under Brittan, despite their personal success.

[grendeljack]

Dude-they risked their lives putting their names on that paper. sure they wanted less taxes- who doesn't? But they lived in a time when your children could be tarred and feathered if you were branded a traitor.

As for Washington- read about what he endured during this war. He was no armchair General. The crossing of the Delaware? Valley Forge? It happened. Not perfect demigods, but imperfect men of incredible courage and character.

[bulked]

Such delusion that the US was founded for liberty.......the vast majority of the founding fathers were elitist land owners seeking only to line their pockets.....if people like washington were as principled as we pretned, they wouldnt have have a history of working for the british in the army etc-they would have had a history of rebelling. They became nationalists when it suited them.

The FFs didnt even trust the people to vote for the president-electoral college ppl? Its an indirect vote ffs

[Salford999Red]

Aye aye comrade!

LOL

[Exoskitzo]

The founding fathers did their best to keep the power in the hands of the people. Too bad all their blood, sweat, and effort was all in vein.

[DarthMai]

This country was founded on great principles of a representative democracy. A republic of laws...now have changed to a Republic of Men (a Road to Communism). This elite in COngress and Senate have increased their pay...without objections from any of them, of course. These people with some exceptions, while preaching meritocracy, acre actually demagogues who put earmarks to enrich themselves and maintain their power. They think we serve them...and we've let them.

[fntime]

We went from a tyranny of the Crown, to be replaced by a tyranny of the 'weak'. Our whole society, caters to all that are weak and in most cases unworthy. What a shame, remember liberty, now we are told that the 'litmus test' of society is how the weak, stupid and cowardly are treated. I think the founding fathers would hang their head in shame. We have had almost 20 years of Bush's, Clinton's and now Obama, this is a cruel end to a wonderful dream! The dye is cast!

[RJY4356]

Well said, I totally agree, even though I voted for Bush, he was a disaster as President. Read Washington's Farewell Address from 1797. Had we listened to him, we would not  have such debts, so many wars and a nation going downhill. They read Washington's Farewell Address every year in the Senate- and then ignore everything he said.

[ToastyMcGrath]

While we're defunding ACORN, why not see what we can do to shut down Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and Halliburton.

[DarthMai]

ACORN has not been defunded. And the hold on funding have expired. Politicians have benefited from them that they did not have the guts to defund them permanently.

[DarthMai]

POWER breeds Corruption!! The Federal government have grown so big that even as we speak, Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac, ACORN are funded institutions that breed corruption where money are exchanged....money given to politicians for campaign contributions and in turn given Federal funds /taxpayer's money in return. CORRUPTION!!!

[DarthMai]

Vote them out of power...McCain, Graham, Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Barney Frank, Dodd, Charlie Rangel and those people who held POWER in committees...Remove incumbents and elect new ones. These people have held power too long that they think WE, THE PEOPLE SERVE THEM.

[RJY4356]

Excellent idea. Too bad the voters are too lazy and apathetic to care enough to vote out the people that have been corrupting our government for decades.

[Monorprise]

If we are to do anything, we will need to convince our state governments to start raising hell again. We as individuals cannot carry out such a rebellion or resistance of any meaningful threat that would garner the needed respect and attention by those who seek to usurp rights. We either have the state with us or no cause at all.

[MrObamaHATESwhites]

POWER TO THE STATES !

[Monorprise]

I think Federal political have gained too much power to the point of becoming helplessly and perpetually corrupted by that power. I think we must find away to take that power from them with out using them, because as they have proven in the past in our previous efforts to reduce the size of government, they make at best Tolkien changes while expanding it elsewhere. Power Corrupt and Washington now weld too much of it to be receptive to our direct electoral demands.

We must decentralize power!

[sawzaw203]

When will enough be ENOUGH, gentlemen!???!!???

[MrObamaHATESwhites]

Obama = Osama

[kcufmalsi]

GOD SAVE OUR AMERICAN STATES!!!!

Vote in 2010 to reenact the US CONSTITUTION!!!

[Skytroop]

@kcufmalsi AMEN!

[WSOR4025]

liberty will reign in America God willing.

[cooperjamesscott]

If we run into such debt, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds we will have no time to think, no means of calling our miss-managers to account but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers...

[cooperjamesscott]

is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for [ another]... till the bulk of society is reduced to be mere automatons of misery... And the fore-horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."

[cooperjamesscott]

Banks have done more injury to the religion, morality, tranquility, prosperity,

and even wealth of the nation than they can have done or ever will do good."

John Adams

[cooperjamesscott]

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. Already they have raised up a moneyed aristocracy that has set the Government at defiance. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people to whom it properly belongs."

Thomas Jefferson

[Bowdeen]

(When any form of goverment becomes distructive of these ends it is in the right of the people to alter or abolish it) Are we there? Are we heading there? Has a group of new princes and kings taken control again?These men Adams,Franklin,Jefferson how we need them now

[btinder711]

Thats a good question.

The answer is no.

[Bowdeen]

Are you sure?

Is the Goverment doing the bidding of the people or of corperations

I am not so sure anymore my freind

The goverment is taking our tax dollars and bailing out corperations who made bad choises

Would they take money from corprate America to help you?

[thedemoboy]

Amen to that my friend.

[bagboygooch]

God save our American States, not from the British, but from those who would wish to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us from foreign lands.

[moolaroo]

While I live let me have a country....a free country. God Bless America....let Freedom Rein.

[fredp089]

The constitution is a paper of laws, only. The spirit of the law is in the hearts of the people whom understand it. It was not written for one person or one group of persons. It was written and proclaimed for all people to read and interpret. Through it, we are allowed self determination and as was proclaimed at this meeting, "God save the States". We are as Independent from the federal government as we are from the British.

[HortonIII]

The last moments- from about 6:30 to the end- are absolutely awe-inspiring; they have signed it, but now as it is read the visible weight you can see on all their faces that in doing this great deed they are traitors to the crown and guilty of treason, there is no going back... this is something Americans today would do well to remember how hard won those rights outlined in the Declaration, and solidified in the bill of rights, were.

"God Save our American Republic." Amen.

[soccom8341576]

Rule by paper and law is generally hard to do in practice, especially the constitution, for it is directly against the will of tyrants.

It doesn't work forever, because someday, some asshole comes around, dominates all others and decides that they want to overrule others. And sometimes, they succeed. It is up to people to interpret, think and act for themselves.

[meltz911]

God damn right Mr Adams.

Bravo SteveBrown2008 for putting this up with the "comments' turned on.

You apparently understand the meaning of "freedom of speech".

[darknight7002]

Wicked man