This Never Happened Before: Where the Stars & Stripes & the Eagle Fly

"And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles [Christopher Columbus]... and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
"And it came to pass that I held the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles [Pilgrims]; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters...
"And I beheld that their mother Gentiles [England] were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
"And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.
"And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone forth out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations."
1 Nephi 13:12-20

"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him who he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them, wherefore, they shall never be brought down into capitivty..."
2 Nephi 1:7

"And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by shedding of blood."
D&C 101:80

As some of you might know, I am an American Studies major. This stems from my love of America and American History, especially the Revolutionary period. I always had an interest in the Revolution, and learning about it always made me feel so much patritoism. Still does.

There used to be a cartoon series on PBS that I loved to watch. It was called Liberty's Kids. I found the theme song on YouTube! Love it :)
Liberty's Kids
You could even check out some of the episodes, too. I recommend the "The First Fourth of July."

(Some pictures from my Washington, D.C. Trip last summer)
The Supreme Court

Some of my favorite quotes about freedom and liberty.

"They tell us Sir, that we are weak -- unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature has placed in our power." -- Patrick Henry (my favorite)

"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." -- Nathan Hale's last words before being hanged by British

"I have not yet begun to fight!" -- John Paul Jones

"These are the times that try men’s souls." -- Thomas Paine

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace." -- Thomas Paine

"I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" -- Patrick Henry

The Capitol Building

The Constitution

Tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery

Also, I was thinking about some of my favorite patriotic songs. Most of them happen to be country songs, which I love, so here they are. Enjoy a little patriotism :)

My current favorite: Where the Stars & Stripes & the Eagle Fly- Aaron Tippin

Only in America- Brooks & Dunn

Have You Forgotten?- Darryl Worley

Independence Day- Martina McBride (I know this one is really about freedom from spousal/child abuse, but I always loved the lyrics)

The Classic: God Bless the USA- Lee Greenwood

The Ultimate: The Star Spangled Banner -Whitney Houston
I learned to sign this in my second year of ASL. I became attached to this performance of the song. It really is beautiful.

Flags near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier