Liberty and prudence

The story of America is bound together with gratitude and sacrifice – from the earliest harvest celebrations to the fight for independence. At Lexington and Concord, liberty was conceived in blood, as ordinary farmers and tradesmen stood shoulder to shoulder. They stood against an empire in hope of an idea: a nation governed by the people and for the people.

When the smoke cleared and victory prevailed, the founders discovered that freedom alone was not enough. If they failed to establish a foundation of wisdom, order, and virtue, the dream of a free nation would collapse into chaos.

From the battlefield
to Constitution Hall

In 1787, the men who gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were not distant theorists but men tempered by hardship, history, and faith. Just years earlier, they had stitched together the Articles of Confederation, a first attempt at governance that proved too weak to unify and defend the vulnerable young nation. Without a stronger union, the sacrifices of the American Revolution would be in vain.

Across the ocean, upheaval consumed France. Rooted in biblical education and wisdom, America’s founders understood the sinful nature of man. They knew that a free society, unchecked by order, would devour itself. With divine intervention, they chose the prudent path of a representative democracy – a constitutional republic. This gift of ordered freedom is one of the richest legacies Americans inherit and a reason for generational thanksgiving.

The quiet strength of prudence

Prudence, seldom celebrated today, was treasured by the founders. To them it was not timidity, but courage restrained by wisdom – a willingness to serve generations yet unborn.

George Washington embodied this brand of selfless leadership. When offered a crown, he refused, also declining the lure of a third presidential term. Like other founders, Washington steeped himself in the values of Scripture. The founders understood that true greatness is found not in power, but in serving with humility.

Philippians 2:3 echoes in their writings and their restraint: “Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”

Order that serves liberty

The Constitution rallies the people’s voice but shapes it with safeguards. By dividing authority among branches of government and balancing the immediate passions of the House of Representatives with the broader vision of the Senate, the founders created the resilient framework that has endured for nearly 250 years. The Electoral College also ensured that every state, large and small, would have a meaningful role in choosing the nation’s leader.

Like gratitude itself, liberty requires careful remembrance. Left unchecked, a free nation can be consumed by passion. Guided by prudence, it becomes a blessing that endures through generations – within its borders and beyond them.

The individual’s role

“These are the times that try men’s souls,” Thomas Paine wrote in the bleak days of 1776.

Washington’s soldiers, frozen and exhausted, pressed forward for lasting liberty. Today, Americans pick up ballots instead of muskets, shouldering the responsibilities of self-government with wisdom, courage, and gratitude.

On Election Day and Thanksgiving Day, citizens will honor the courage of the founders and the wisdom of the Constitution. May every American voter cast a thoughtful and prayerful ballot on November 4, raising their voices in gratitude for a heritage of freedom.