June 14th: Birthday of the Army of Freedom and Old Glory, the Emblem of 'We the People"

By Dennis Jamison —— Bio and Archives June 14, 2022

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America in 2022 is in a serious moral and ethical free fall. A wealthy criminal elite have taken ownership of the nation in the name of being Americans, and far too many crimes against the citizens, against “We the People,” often go unpunished and every violation is being done in the name of the United States of America. The sacred blueprint of a Constitutional Republic is but a distant memory in the minds of modern day patriots holding onto a glimmer of hope that some good may emerge in such a tumultuous time. But, goodness does not have a life of its own. It emanates from people of faith seeking to practice it in their daily lives. Goodness ceases to exist when courage, or hope, or morality are no longer important to a people or a culture.

The United States has come full circle to social conditions that were present when the British aristocracy in the latter part of the 1700s controlled and manipulated the American colonists. The fundamental difference in this day is that the people seem to have lost their moral compass. In the past few decades American citizens have experienced a roller coaster-like ride within the political realm. “We the People” have not witnessed such a vast assault on the foundations of our Republic since the British colonists faced off against their own government and felt deeply compelled to fight for freedom from such tyrannical constraints. Discontent and disdain grew and festered until outbreaks of violence triggered the War for Independence. The battles at Lexington and Concord ensued over the authoritarianism executed by a royal governor in Massachusetts who sought to arrest two ‘deplorables’ named Samuel Adams and John Hancock for crimes against the Crown. The ‘powers that be’ sought such action by night and hoped to gain the arrests of the men as well as seize the arms rumored or reported to be stored near Concord. This set off a powder keg type explosive reaction by the colonists who had simply had enough of being treated like second-class citizens by the British government. First blood in Massachusetts was spilled, and the British Crown considered this an act of rebellion.  A rag-tag band of brave boys and men confronted the most powerful military on the planet at the time. It was an unthinkable, practically suicidal act. Such actions gave a substantial realism to a bold and deeply memorable statement by Patrick Henry when he cried: “Give Me Liberty or give me death.” Such sentiment echoed throughout the colonies, otherwise nothing significant would have happened in the Spring of 1775. On June 14, 1775, Rep. John Adams rose to address the delegates of the Second Continental Congress and conveyed to his peers an appeal from the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to avoid a disaster should the British troops manage to break out of Boston and “spread desolation as far as they could go.” 

Adams’ resolution was for the Congress to take charge of the band of amateur troops and also to appoint someone as commanding general to take charge of those troops in the field. The Second Continental Congress formally adopted the rag-tag band of men and boys who were fighting for freedom and defending their rights. However, the “army” that the Continental Congress had formally adopted did not resemble a genuine army because they were simply a volunteer force: farm hands and farmers, clerks, merchants and shop-keepers, dockworkers  and doctors, sailors and teachers. American history records that George Washington consented to his nomination to “that important command.” Congress subsequently affirmed Adams’ resolutions. Thus, on June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the rag-tag band of men and boys who had stirred up such a great amount of trouble when they started shooting at the only real army in North America. Thus on this date, the United States Army was born and Col. George Washington was appointed commander-in-chief of the infant “Continental Army.” This event is considered the birth of the United States Army. On the other side of the playing field, the “real army” consisted of the most powerful military force in the world. The British Army was essentially the most disciplined, the best equipped, and the most formidable army in the world. The British Navy ruled the seas. The rag-tag army had dared to shoot at the king’s troops, an act equivalent to shooting at the king himself. The action was considered outright rebellion. The real army was in the colonies by order of King George III, who was resolved to discipline the rabble-rousers in the colonies and crush such a rebellion before it escalated. The real army did not honestly view the band of Americans as a serious threat. But, the real army would lose the war and a new nation would be born.

In reality, when the Congress approved the articles, that act did not substantially establish the United States. They were not formally ratified by the states until 1781, the year that Washington accepted the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. Even the peace treaty with Great Britain did not officially acknowledge the U.S. It was not until the peace treaty was signed by Great Britain, France and the new United States that the new government of the U.S.A. came into existence in 1783. While such chronology may seem inconsequential, it may represent a deeper significance. Why is it important to remember the birth of the U.S. Army and the creation of Old Glory, both occurred before the birth of the nation. Both represent "We the People." The flag and the army both represent the American people and their drive toward freedom. No king was forcing the Americans to fight; their quest for freedom was what drove them to fight for  their rights. Many felt as one: “Give me Liberty, or give me death.” In the historical development of humanity, this yearning and determination to secure Freedom was substantiated in the War for Independence. The establishment of the new government was a consequence of the fight for Freedom. Long live the fight for Freedom!