Liberty Day

Welcome to Liberty Day!

2012-03-10T08:00:00.031-06:00

Liberty Day 2012

March 8-10
Wheaton, IL

Patrick Henry & the Virginia Convention Delegates welcome you to this website!

Click Here
for information about Liberty Day 2012!

2011 Liberty Day Conference recordings
available at: www.ResoundingVoice.com

You won’t want to miss this weekend of educational lectures, fun hands-on activities, reenactments, music, and celebration!

Meet Patrick Henry, and hear him defend his call to arms, tap your toes to delightful all-American music, be inspired by stories of heroes from America's past!

Join the men as they try their coordination at military drills, enjoy refreshments, and kick up your heels in a colonial pastime - the Virginia Reel!

Meet other attendees, take pictures, learn, remember, give thanks, laugh, celebrate!

Click Here to watch a short slideshow of pictures from Liberty Day 2010!

March 8-10, 2012. We hope you will join us!

Use the menu bar above to find more information! If you have any questions, just drop us a note at Info@LibertyDay.net and we'll do our best to answer it promptly.

2011-09-14T15:46:00.006-05:00

A Guide for Creating a History Display Showcasing God’s Providence

The starting point for embarking on the exciting journey of creating a display depicting God’s providential hand in history is a recognition of the character of God. The God of the Bible is the only true God and He is perfect in holiness and sovereign over all things - including all events that occur throughout the march of human history. He is orchestrating all of these particular happenings for His divine purpose by weaving them together in a beautiful tapestry for His honor and glory. Without understanding that God is the primary cause of the course of history, our interpretation of that history will be faulty. While it may not always be obvious to our finite minds how certain historical occurrences fit into God’s perfectly orchestrated plan, we can take great comfort and hope in knowing the truth of Holy Scripture, which teaches:

“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever.” (Romans 11:36, KJV)

It is with this foundation that we begin the work on a providential history display.

Steps in Fashioning a Providential History Display

Building upon the sovereign and holy character of our Father in heaven, we take the following steps to create a God-honoring display of a person or incident from the past:

• Pray - This project should be bathed in petitioning the Lord for His divine assistance to open our eyes to His working. We are doing so much more than understanding and then reciting the people and events from a particular time period - we are seeking to gain insight into the very movement of the hand of God. As such, we need the wisdom and guidance that only our loving Heavenly Father can give.

• Brainstorm and discuss ideas for your display as a family - There are so many exciting things that the Lord has accomplished throughout ages past by using a great variety of people, places, and circumstances. Sit together with your family and collect ideas from one another about what to do for your history display. Use events and people with whom you are already familiar or would like to study as a starting point for your brainstorming session.

• Select a topic to focus your efforts - Once you have a list of ideas, the next step is to choose the one on which you will work. This part can be one of the most difficult of the entire process and should be done by seeking the Lord in prayer for His direction!

• Meditate on the truths of Holy Scripture - God always acts according to His divine, holy, and perfect character. The way that we know His character and how He will show His nature (which includes the elements of blessing righteousness, judging wickedness, and sanctifying His people via various trials) is through what He has revealed in His Word. As you read or think of particular principles derived from specific Scripture verses applicable to the period of history that you are studying, include those verses or principles as elements of your display.

• Study the event or person you have chosen - Diligently research documents about the people and events that you are investigating. Particularly focus on primary source documents written by the people actually involved in the event or life of the person you are seeking to portray since they are less likely to be tainted with the historical revisionism that plague many modern accounts of the past. As you study, look for God’s working in what you learn. Also, look for how events both before and after what you are depicting fit into God’s overall plan for human history.

• Survey the gifts, talents, and interests within your family - As you are learning about the particular area that you selected to study, determine and discuss how the various members of the family can contribute to this God-honoring project. Younger children can be a part of this great work in a number of ways, including drawing pictures, helping to arrange items to display, building or painting parts of a diorama, and gathering supplies for others. Older children (and adults!) can work on this display through various means, including researching the particular topic, writing articles, listing how God’s hand is shown through various people and events, developing a timeline, designing the board layout, generating a slideshow for a laptop computer, and composing or recording music.

• Build your display - Pay attention to details such as color selection, graphic design, and layout organization. Remember that the most important part of the display is to show God’s governance in the affairs of men. Consequently, ensure that your project properly emphasizes the work that the Lord accomplished.

• Praise the Lord for the great things He hath done - By following the prior steps, you will be learning a great deal about Almighty God and how He has shown His power in the days of the past. As you do, praise God for what He has performed, as well as His graciousness and lovingkindness toward you in allowing you to have your eyes opened to more of his majesty, sovereignty, and providence.

Conclusion

Throughout your time of planning and creating your display, keep in the forefront of your mind that the purpose for this project is to be a faithful servant of His by bringing honor and glory to the Name above all names. As you seek to proclaim the work of the Lord from days gone by, may He bless you with His joy and cause you to be in greater awe of His work in this world. Take great delight in your glorious journey through the lanes of God’s providence and strive to have your display exalt the Lord on High, causing others to see His mighty power!

Soli Deo Gloria!
David Jachim (winner, Liberty Day History Display Contest 2010 & 2011)

2012 Historical Dance

2011-09-14T14:37:00.003-05:00

As part of the festivities for the 2012 Liberty Day Celebration, we will be hosting a historical dance!
It will be held on campus at Wheaton College, although in a separate building from the rest of the celebration. No separate registration is required.

2012 Fashion Show

2011-09-14T14:37:00.002-05:00

Details to come.

History Display Contest

2011-09-14T14:29:00.006-05:00

Due to the changes in the conference format for Liberty Day 2012, we will not be hosting a History Display Contest this year.

However, we encourage you to take time to read this article and start thinking and working towards Liberty Day 2013!

2012 Conference Information

2011-07-28T15:08:00.026-05:00

Liberty Day is joining Generations with Vision to bring an exciting double-event to the Chicago area!

The 2012 Family Economics Conference

Fruitful & Free Households in 21st Century America

"One of the most essential branches of English liberty is the freedom of one's house." -James Otis, 1761

For seven years, Generations with Vision has produced the Generations Radio Broadcast addressing social, cultural, economic, and political issues from a distinctively Biblical perspective. They have chronicled the decline of the family, faith, freedoms, and the economy in America and the West.

For the last 3 years, Generations has led a vision for family-based economic systems, including two packed-out family economics conferences in 2010 (Colorado) and 2011 (North Carolina).

Not a homeschooling conference, worldview symposium, or financial seminar, the Family Economics Conference takes on the socialism of our day head-on with a full-orbed biblical approach to family, and family economics.

Which is why Liberty Day is excited to come alongside this endeavor for the 2012 Family Economics Conference in Wheaton, IL. Without a proper understanding of the place of economics in our lives and in our homes, we will be handicapped as we seek to implement changes and build up our own lives, in our families, in our churches, and in our nation.

"All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in their Constitution or Confederation, nor from want of honor or virtue, so much as downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation." - John Adams, 1787

Click Here to register now for the 2012 Family Economics Conference and Liberty Day, and join us as we seek to reverse this ignorance, and reclaim this portion of our liberty.

Important Note: Take advantage of the generous early bird discount and register now! This conference has sold out every year, so you'll want to reserve seats for your family while there is room! We look forward to having you join us in March!

Family Economics Conference & Liberty Day 2012
www.FamilyEconomics2012.com
March 8-10 / Wheaton, IL

Speakers & Sessions

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Dr. Joseph Morecraft, III
Father, grandfather, pastor and noted lecturer, Joe Morecraft has addressed civic, medical, military, political, religious and educational groups. He has authored numerous articles and spoken on national defense, international relations, constitutionalism and various economic and social issues. He is a former chaplain of the Georgia Legislature and former chairman of the United States Constitution Party of Georgia. He resides with his wife, Becky, just outside of Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr. Phillip Kayser
Raised in Ethiopia by missionary parents, Pastor Phil Kayser now lives with his family in Omaha, Nebraska. He continues to have a passion for missions, making teaching trips to other countries, mentoring international leaders. He is also president and founder of the Providential History Festival. One of his greatest passions is to see the comprehensive blueprints of the Scriptures applied to science, civil government, education, art, historiography, economics, business, and every area of life.

Friday, March 25

7:00pm
Foundations of Victory, Seeds of Defeat - Dr. Kayser
Over the course of American history Christian attempts to influence culture have had mixed results. We will discuss seven “Christian” approaches to culture, showing how six of them almost guarantee the triumph of humanism. But Jude 13-14 vividly pictures how vulnerable humanism is to a vibrant transformational approach to culture that sees Jesus as King over all.

The Great Awakening - Dr. Morecraft
One of the most important events in shaping the worldview of Americans in the 18th century was The Great Awakening in the 1740's. Its influence still shapes us today almost 300 years later, both for good and evil. Being able to distinguish those good and evil principles that flow out of The Great Awakening enable us to be distinct in our discernment of issues today and to be focused in working toward corrections. One thing we see clearly is that ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have bad consequences and good ideas will result in good consequences.

Saturday, March 26

9:30am
Natural Law vs. Biblical Law - Dr. Morecraft
The Bible says that Israel's decline began from the very day they built Jerusalem, Jeremiah 32:31-33, that is, from her very founding as a nation. Those seeds of destruction were never dug up; therefore, they matured to full-fledged apostasy. Like Israel, the seeds of America's decline were sown in the founding of America. The root of our decline, slow at first and accelerating today, was the attempt to find in nature laws for society obtained by the proper use of reason, i.e., natural law theory. This view eventually led our nation away from God's Law contained in Holy Scripture.

10:55am
Our French Revolution - Dr. Morecraft
A correct and comprehensive understanding of what has gone wrong in our modern American is impossible apart from a true understanding of our war in the mid-nineteenth century and its relation to the French Revolution in 1789. Both Northerners and Southerners in the 1860's, and liberal and conservative historians today, recognize that civil war was a real revolution that changed everything about our country. We must look beyond the debates on slavery, control of the Mississippi River, states' rights and tariffs, to the deeper religious and philosophical motives behind that war, especially Unitarianism.

1:15pm
Breaches in Humanism's Dam - Dr. Kayser
Humanism in American history has been like a mighty dam holding back the waters of cultural transformation. At times it has allowed more water to come over the spillway, and at other times it has restricted the influence of Christianity. But this presentation will examine the key vulnerabilities of American humanism. These vulnerable points are like leaks in a dike that have the potential of completely destroying the dike and unleashing the waters of God’s kingdom into every sphere of life. This is not a time to throw up our hands in despair. Instead, this is a time to expect great things from God and attempt great things for Him. When our vision is on the enemy, our faith will falter. When the church’s vision is fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, we will have what is needed to fulfill the dream of the Pilgrim’s and Puritans – to make America a city set on a hill.

2011 Historical Dance!

2011-02-08T10:48:00.011-06:00

Due to limited space, we have added a separate registration for participation in the dance in the Chapel following the evening celebration. We hope this will make the dancing more enjoyable for all who attend!

Miss Duff, from Nebraska, and her sister Miss Jennifer, will be joining us to teach and call the dances. Both ladies are experienced in historic dancing, and in the art of dance hosting and instruction. Visit their website to read more!

As always, the fun of the Virginia Reel will be available to all in the gymnasium.

Both dances will follow the evening celebration and start at approximately 8:15pm, and continue until 9:45pm.

Since a separate registration is required to participate in the more advanced colonial dances, we are also requesting that registrants meet the following criteria, for the enjoyment of all:

13 years of age, or older
Previous experience with colonial type dancing
Attend dressed in modest historical costume, or "Sunday best"
Arrive with the intent to dance and enjoy the evening!

To register for the dance, first register for Liberty Day 2011.
Then Click Here to register for the 2011 Liberty Day Historical Dance ($2/person).

SOLD OUT for 2011!

Please note, any dance registrations received by those not registered for the Liberty Day Conference will not be admitted to the dance. No refunds will be issued. Questions? Info@LibertyDay.net - We hope to see you there!

2011 Liberty Day Fashion Show

2011-02-01T12:35:00.008-06:00

Ladies and Girls Historical Fashion Show
This year we will be hosting a Ladies Historic Fashion Show. The fashion show will take place on Saturday afternoon (same time as the Military Drills) and each entrant will model their own dress!

Who may enter:
· Any female of any age
· One entry per person

What is to be worn:
· Historic dress, pre-1950
· Accessories are welcome (hats, gloves, etc.)
· Home-sewn or a purchased dress is acceptable
· Please, all dresses must be modest. Proper undergarments are necessary, as the stage and lighting will make the dress “see-through”

How to enter:
· Please e-mail 2 - 5 sentences, describing the dress to be worn. Include any detail that would be helpful to others who would like to recreate the dress, as well as what time period the dress represents. Possible other information: the pattern number, if home-sewn; the retailer or seamstress; actual dress details, for instance the type of sleeve, seems with cording, etc.
· Include your name and note if the model is an adult or child; if a child, please include age.
· Please include 1 - 2 pictures of the dress and the model, who will be modeling the dress during the Liberty Day Fashion Show.

Deadline:
Entries must be made no later then Monday, March 21, 2011
Please email submissions to: ldfashionshow@gmail.com

Click here to see sample entries

Sample Entries

2011-01-15T12:35:00.000-06:00

Sample Entry A

Name: Jane Smith
Age: Adult
Description: My dress was modified from a discontinued McCall’s pattern. It is based off of a 1776 era dress.

------

Sample Entry B

Name: Mary Smith
Age: Adult
Description: My dress is an example of an 1860's dress. I didn't use a pattern. My sister and I attended a workshop where we learned how to fit and make our own bodice pattern and sleeves. For the skirt we used three panels and pleated the waste.

2011 Conference Details

2010-11-22T15:38:00.027-06:00

Postlude to the Signers, Prelude to Today

Date: Friday & Saturday, March 25-26, 2011
Special guests: Dr. Joe Morecraft, Dr. Phillip Kayser, Charlie Zahm, Tad Marks
Location: Medinah Baptist Church, Medinah, IL
Email us (Info@LibertyDay.net) to be added to our email and/or mailing lists.

Please note:
The 2011 Liberty Day Conference begins on Friday evening, March 25, 2011 and continues through Saturday, March 26, 2011. Click Here for registration information.

Conference Schedule:
Friday, March 25
6:15pm - Doors open, registration begins
7:00pm - Welcome
Charlie Zahm & Tad Marks
Foundations of Victory, Seeds of Defeat (Kayser)
The Great Awakening (Morecraft)

Saturday, March 26
9:00am - Doors open
9:30am - Natural Law vs. Biblical Law (Morecraft)
10:55am - Our French Revolution (Morecraft)
12:00pm - Lunch Break / Choir Rehearsal
1:15pm - Charlie Zahm & Tad Marks
1:30pm - Breaches in Humanism's Dam (Kayser)
3:00pm - Colonial Military Drills / Fashion Show
4:00pm - Dinner Break

6:00pm ~ 13th Annual Liberty Day Celebration
8:15pm - 9:45pm ~ Annual Colonial Dance
*Due to limited space, separate registration is required for participation in the dance in the Chapel following the celebration. The Virginia Reel in the Gym will be available for all. Conference registrants will receive a direct link for dance registration.

Conference Location:
Medinah Baptist Church
900 Foster Ave
Medinah, Illinois 60157

Click here for a map

Please note that this is not a function of Medinah Baptist Church. If you have questions, please contact us directly at: info@libertyday.net - Thank you!

Conference Lodging:
Click Here for information on local hotels.

We do also have a group rate set at:
Country Inn and Suites
1490 W. Lake St.
Roselle, IL 60172
630-351-0101

Ask for the Liberty Day rate.

Conference Meals:
There will be a room on site available for those bringing lunches and dinners with them to the conference. For those wishing to purchase their meals off site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.

Google Maps area restaurants
Mapquest area restaurants

Conference Registration:
$30/individual or $55 /family
($35/individual or $65/family on site - if space still available.)

Click Here for more registration information

2012 Liberty Day Choir

2010-11-03T10:51:00.012-05:00

Have YOU wanted to get on stage during the Liberty Day Celebration? Now you can!

This year registered Liberty Day attendees (ages 13+) are able to participate in the Liberty Day celebration by signing up for the choir. The choir members will receive two pieces. The first will be a hymn, the second will be the final chorus of a song to be presented with the other musical entertainment of the evening.

The choir will have a single one hour rehearsal on Saturday.

We had a wonderful time with the choir last year, and although we need to simplify our repertoire this year due to time constraints, we hope you will join us in introducing this rousing hymn to the audience.

- Rehearsal schedule TBA.
- Music distributed upon sign-up. (Link Below)
- Choir members must be registered for Family Economics Conference & Liberty Day to participate.
- Choir sign-up closes on January 28, 2012
- Cost: No charge.

Click here to join the choir!

13th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

2010-11-03T10:21:00.020-05:00

Encasing the debate will be music and stories of heroes and history. As our special guests, Charlie Zahm and fiddler Tad Marks will be bringing delightful Americana music to enrich the evening!

Join us on March 25 & 26, 2011!
The conference runs Friday evening & Saturday day.
The celebration begins on Saturday at: 6:00 p.m.

Costumes!
Join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty!

Book Tables
We will have a few book tables with a select collection of resources available that evening, so be sure to take time to browse through them!

Click Here for pictures from 2010!
Click Here for pictures from 2008!
Click Here for pictures from 2007!
Click Here for pictures from 2006!

Registration
The Liberty Day Celebration is included with your registration for the 2011 Liberty Day Conference. The celebration is open to conference attendees only.

Click Here to register online!
Click Here to register for the Historic Dance!

Click Here for further registration information!

Click Here for information on the 2011 Liberty Day Conference!

2011 Conference Information

2010-10-07T14:00:00.007-05:00

Date: Friday & Saturday, March 25-26, 2011
Special guests: Dr. Joe Morecraft, Dr. Phil Kayser, Charlie Zahm & Tad Marks
Location: Medinah Baptist Church, Medinah, IL
More Info Here

Email us at: Info@LibertyDay.net to be added to our email list and/or mailing list.

Click Here for registration information.

Click Here to go directly to the online registration form.

Liberty Day 2010 - Celebration Slideshow

2010-03-23T13:21:00.003-05:00

photography and slideshow by Mark Andrew Kennedy

2010 Conference Information

2010-03-19T12:05:00.008-05:00

Rebuilding Our Sacred Honor:Investing our Inheritance

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010
Location: Medinah Baptist Church, Medinah, IL
Speakers: Dr. Paul Jehle & Herb Titus, Esq.

Click Here to purchase recordings of the 2010 Liberty Day Conference!

Reserve Saturday, March 20, 2010 on your calendar now! Come learn much, and be inspired to learn more, as Herb Titus and Paul Jehle share with us from their vast knowledge of history, Christianity, and government principles. The whole family will be educated, blessed, inspired, and challenged to reclaim our birthright as Americans, and walk rightly before God and man today.

Click Here for event details!

Important Information for Attendees

2010-03-18T07:13:00.001-05:00

Greetings Friends!

We are excited about Liberty Day 2010 this weekend, and glad that you will be joining us!

The big day is coming up quickly and we have some important details we want you to be aware of ahead of time. Please read carefully through these items.

First off, meals!

Tables and chairs will be available in the gymnasium for those who wish to bring their own meals and eat on site.

For those wishing to eat out for one or both meals, please check out the link below for information about area restaurants. Due to the large number of registrants this year, it is advisable to make reservations ahead of time, or consider ordering ahead for quick pick-up, or having your meal delivered to Medinah Baptist Church.

Lunch break is from 11:30am to 12:30pm.
Dinner break is from 4:00pm to 5:30pm.

Google Maps area restaurants.

Second, crowding!

We are expecting a very full house this year with attendees coming from a dozen states! In light of that fact, we have had to consider a number of logistics.

Ladies: We love seeing so many show up in costume, but we request that you refrain from wearing a hoop with your costume; or at the very least, please wear it tightened to its smallest size. We will need to sit tight and can really only afford to offer one space per person. :-)

Gentlemen: While we are certainly supporters of our 2nd ammendment rights, we do ask that you leave your swords, rifles and other potentially hazardous weapons at home (yes, even your plastic/wooden ones!). We know that your outfit will be incomplete, but - again - logistics and liabilities require this of us this year!

Parents: This year there will be a special "Family Room" for those with younger children. This room will have audio and visual feed of the daytime conference and will allow you to spread out a blanket for your children to sit on, or use a stroller and/or set-up a port-a-crib. We ask that you still keep your children very quiet in this room, but you will at least have a little more room to move around in, if necessary. This room will not be available during the evening program.

Arrival:

As mentioned above, we are expecting to completely fill the seats of the main auditorium. Please keep in mind that in light of the large crowd, it will take longer to get everyone seated. Please arrive in plenty of time to check in, hang your coats in the coat room, and find your seats. The first session will be starting promptly at 9:00am, please be seated and ready so we can start with little disruption.

For the evening celebration:

Doors open at 5:30pm - and, again, we will have lots of people to seat quickly. Be there, and be ready!

That's it! We look forward to seeing you all on Saturday!

If you have further questions, please email us at: Info@LibertyDay.net

Until Saturday -
Roger Erber
and the Liberty Day Staff

2010 Conference Details

2010-01-15T09:21:00.030-06:00

The Liberty Day Committee is excited to welcome Dr. Paul Jehle and Mr. Herb Titus, Esq. as our guest speakers for the 2010 Liberty Day Conference:

Rebuilding Our Sacred Honor:
Investing Our Inheritance
Building on the generations that preceeded them, our founding fathers left us a rich inheritance of Christian government, and principled liberties. They sacrificed life and fortune, devoting years of toil and their very blood to establish this legacy for us.

Today we see that inheritance wasted and grown tarnished from abuse and neglect. How do we recover its glory? How do we realize its wealth and enjoy its peace and protection? And how do we reinvest it today - for future generations, and for the glory of God? This and more - at Liberty Day 2010.

Please read the following information for more details on the conference. If you have any questions you may contact us at: info@libertyday.net We hope to see you on March 20!

Click Here for a printable flyer with the primary information for Liberty Day 2010!

Conference Schedule:
Saturday, March 20
8:30am - Doors open, registration begins
9:00am - Law and Jurisdiction: Horizontal Interposition - Titus
10:20am - Equality: Common or Privileged? - Jehle
11:30am - Lunch Break
12:45pm - Fault and Restitution: The Jury and Liberty - Titus
1:55pm - Vow and Dominion: Private Property vs. Eminent Domain - Jehle
3:00pm - Q&A and Discussion with Jehle and Titus (optional)
4:00pm - Dinner Break

6:00pm ~ 12th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

Conference Location:
Medinah Baptist Church
900 Foster Ave
Medinah, Illinois 60157

Click here for a map

Please note that this is not a function of Medinah Baptist Church. If you have questions, please contact us directly at: info@libertyday.net - Thank you!

Conference Lodging:
Click Here for information on local hotels.

We do also have a group rate set at:
Country Inn and Suites
1490 W. Lake St.
Roselle, IL 60172
630-351-0101

Ask for the Liberty Day rate.

Conference Meals:
There will be a room on site available for those bringing lunches and dinners with them to the conference. For those wishing to purchase their meals off site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.

Google Maps area restaurants
Mapquest area restaurants

Conference Registration:
$35/individual or $55 family

Click Here to register online!
Click Here for further registration information!
Conference registration includes admission to the 12th Annual Liberty Day Celebration in the evening. If you are unable to attend the conference and would like to register for the celebration only, please Click Here.

12th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

2010-01-14T17:52:00.031-06:00

Encasing the debate will be music and stories of heroes and history. As our special guests, the Heirs of Baird will be joining us from the Mount Rushmore region for Liberty Day 2010, bringing Celtic, Americana, Westward Expansion, and Cowboy music!

Join us on March 20!
The festivities will begin at: 6:00 p.m
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Medinah Baptist Church,
900 Foster Ave, Medinah, Illinois

This event is not sponsored by Medinah Baptist. Please do not call them about this. Questions? Please contact us directly at: Info@LibertyDay.net

Costumes!
Join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty!

Book Tables
We will have a few book tables with a select collection of resources available that evening, so be sure to take time to browse through them!

Click Here for pictures from 2008!
Click Here for pictures from 2007!
Click Here for pictures from 2006!
Click Here to view pictures from previous years!

RegistrationThe Liberty Day Celebration is included with your registration for the 2010 Liberty Day Conference.

Click Here to register online!

Click Here for further registration information!

Click Here for information on the 2010 Liberty Day Conference!

Registration Information

2010-01-13T07:45:00.058-06:00

You can still join us!
On-Site registration will be open, as space allows!

Full Admission - Conference & Celebration
Early Registration:
$30/individual - $55/family

After March 19, online and on-site:
$35/individual - $65/family

Online registration is now closed.
*Please note, we are unable to offer a "Celebration Only" pass this year.

We look forward to seeing you at Liberty Day!

Questions? Contact us at: Info@LibertyDay.net

**
Cancellations and Refunds
If after registering you are unable to attend Liberty Day 2011, please contact us immediately. Info@LibertyDay.net

Until March 11, your registration fee can be refunded in full (-$5 transaction fee). After March 11, 2011 we will be unable to issue refunds.

2011 History Display Contest

2010-01-07T14:09:00.008-06:00

We invite you to bring a History Display to share!

To enter the historical table display contest:

Research an event from American/World history that highlights the hand of God.
As a family, create a display based on that event that clearly and attractively communicates the story and its message.
Have your display set up by 9:00am March 26, in the lobby area of Medinah Baptist Church (check in at the registration table upon arrival).
Bring your own card table to set-up your display on.
Families may enter more than one display, if desired.

To register a History Display, simply send us an email by March 12, 2011 at Info@LibertyDay.net with the following information:

Names of Contributing Family Members
Subject of Display
Phone Number
Email Address

Judges will review displays on appearance and content. Winners will be awarded during the evening celebration.

Submissions will only be accepted from registrants for the 2011 Liberty Day Conference & Celebration. Click Here for registration information.

Questions? Info@LibertyDay.net

For helpful tips to create a History Display, see the Step by Step Guide for Entering a History Project from our friends at the Providential History Festival in Omaha, NE.)

2010 Essay Contest

2010-01-07T11:00:00.021-06:00

Attention Writers!

Here is your mission: Write a Letter to the Editor of a local or national newspaper on a recent article, or current event issue. Submit it to the editor, then send us a copy, whether or not they publish it! If you are replying to an article previously published, please include a copy of, or link to, that article as well.

Judging criteria will include relevance, clarity, and style.

E-mail your submission, or mail it postmarked, on or before March 6, 2010.

To: Info@libertyday.net

Or, to: Liberty Day Essay Contest
PO Box 354
Harvard, IL 60033

There are three categories, and prizes awarded to each!

***Due to publication restrictions for some newspapers, word counts are tightly limited this year. How concisely can you make your point?
Students ages 8-12 - up to 150 words
Students ages 13-18 - up to 250 words
Adults ages 19-99 - up to 250 words

Be sure to include the author's name, date of birth, phone number, and email address.

Email your essay as a Microsoft Word document, or, if mailed, essay must be printed on white paper in 12 point Times New Roman font.

Essay authors must be registered for the 2010 Liberty Day Conference. Authors who have not registered for Liberty Day 2010 will have their essays disqualified. Click Here for registration information.

Winners will be announced during our Liberty Day Celebration on March 20, 2010 which will take place at Medinah Baptist Church, in Medinah, Illinois.

Happy Writing!

Liberty Day 2009 Slideshow

2009-03-23T12:19:00.007-05:00

(6.5 minutes long)

2009 Apple Pie Contest Winners!

2009-03-22T18:58:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Schuyler & Krista, on your winning apple pie!

2009 Essay Contest Winners!

2009-03-21T22:17:00.006-05:00

Congratulations to our 2009 Essay Contest Winners! The following is the criteria that each essay was asked to meet:

Define for us the difference between a Reformation and a Revolution. One ends in order, the other in chaos. Why? You may also consider comparing the key ideological and theological differences between America's War for Independence and the French Revolution.

For the younger student group (ages 8-12), write in your own words an exciting narrative describing the writing and/or signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Students ages 8-12 - 200-300 words
Students ages 13-18 - 400-600 words
Adults ages 19-99 - 600-800 words

Much time and consideration went into reading each essay and selecting the winners! Slowly the number of essays was trimmed down to a few finalists, and at last - after much debate amongst the judges - winners were chosen! Click on the author's name to read their essay!

Students ages 8-12: Paul Hartlaub, Wisconsin
Students ages 13-18: Nathan Detwiler, Ohio
& Rachel Detwiler, Ohio
Adults ages 19-99: David Jachim, Michigan

Final Details!

2009-03-19T11:26:00.007-05:00

Just a few final details that we'd like you to be aware of!

~
There will be a large room available on-site for those of you who would like to bring your lunch and/or supper to the conference. There are a few outlets available for plugging-in crockpots, too.

For those of you wishing to purchase your meals off-site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.
*Google Maps area restaurants
*Mapquest area restaurants

~
Please be aware that Medinah Baptist Church is located in a residential neighborhood. Foster Avenue is an inconspicuous side-street. You can reference the map linked below:

Medinah Baptist Church
900 Foster Ave, Medinah, Illinois 60157
*Map

~
Doors open (and registration begins) at 8:15 am on Saturday. We plan to start the conference promptly at 9:00am. So please arrive in time to check in, find seats and be settled in by 9:00am. Registration will be available at the door for those not yet registered!

~
Remember to bring an apple pie! Pies should be delivered to the registration table by noon, on Saturday.

~
This is not a function of Medinah Baptist Church. If you have questions, please contact the us directly by email (info@libertyday.net).

~
We are looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

2009 Conference Information

2008-12-05T12:31:00.021-06:00

Preserving Our Sacred Honor:
Principled Founders Speak Today

Date: March 21, 2009
Speaker: Dr. Paul Jehle

Click Here to order the conference recordings!

Dr. Paul Jehle will set the stage and discuss the issues and conditions that existed in the colonies

prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, helping us to better understand the intent and importance of this document. Dr. Jehle is a gifted communicator, able to delve into a subject making it interesting, applicable and plainly understandable to all ages.

We believe you will find yourself applying much to our own day.

After having Dr. Jehle speak on the US Constitution in 2006, we received so many requests to bring him back, that coming in March Dr. Jehle will be returning to Illinois! You won’t want to miss this - and your children need to hear this!

Let’s raise up a truly educated generation who has learned from the lessons that history teaches us, and is equipped and motivated to advance the kingdom of God!

2009 Apple Pie Contest

2008-12-04T16:45:00.003-06:00

What could be a more fitting end to a day focusing on American history and principles, than to indulge in a slice of America's favorite dessert - Apple Pie! However, our staff absolutely refuses to take on the baking of enough apple pies for all who will be attending Liberty Day 2009.

So, we call on you, our friends and guests, to roll up your sleeves, tie on your aprons and produce for us the very best apple pies imaginable! A select group of judges will attempt to tackle the enormous task of selecting an all around best pie based on appearance and flavor! An award will be bestowed upon the baker of the winning pie during the 2009 Liberty Day Celebration. Afterward the pies will be sliced and served as our evening refreshment.

Rules for submission:
1. Pies submitted must be homemade apple pies.
2. Pies must be delivered to the conference registration table by noon, on Saturday, March 21, 2009.
3. Pies must be baked in a disposable 9" pie plate.
4. Pies must be labeled with chef's name in permanent ink marker on the bottom of disposable pie plate.
5. Chefs submitting pies must be registered for the 2009 Liberty Day Conference and Celebration.
6. Any pies not meeting rules 1-5 will be disqualified. Sorry!

11th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

2008-12-03T15:43:00.001-06:00

You, our friends and fellow Americans, are invited to celebrate our nation’s glorious heritage as we inflame in our hearts a richer love for this most precious gift - Liberty!

Come join us as over two hundred thirty years after Patrick Henry kindled the flame of liberty in the hearts of his hearers, with his now immortal words of liberty or death, we gather to commemorate the event.

You will laugh, learn, and perhaps even cry during this evening of family fun as with story, song, and skit we recall the principles, the men and events, the battles and the legends of ages past that have brought to us the liberty that shone America’s name across the world.

This year we are holding our celebration in conjunction with the conference: Preserving Our Sacred Honor: Principled Founders Speak Today.

The annual highlight of the evening celebration is the exciting, fully costumed dramatic reenactment of the debate that took place during the 2nd Virginia Convention that culminates in the delivery of Patrick Henry’s famous speech.

Step back in time to March 1775, as you sit amongst George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and many others as they heatedly debate the controversial issue of their day—whether or not to go to war against their mother country, England. Excitement fills the air as you grapple with the gripping arguments on each side. But, you’re not just a bystander! You, too, get to use your voice and cast your vote as one of the delegates! Aye or Nay? It's up to you!

Encasing the debate will be music and stories of heroes and history. As a special guest, Mr. Charlie Zahm will be joining us as a guest artist for Liberty Day 2009! Whether he is singing the glories of gallant General Washington, an ode to "Liberty," songs of battles won or lost, or just popular selections of the times, Charlie calls on a robust baritone, mastery of guitar (and other instruments), and a seasoned approach to the art of "entertaining" to provide a program enjoyed by all! You don't want to miss this opportunity to hear him in Illinois!

After the presentations of the evening, enjoy apple pie, join in dancing the Virginia Reel, military drills, and other fun activities that the whole family can join in on!

Join us on March 21!
The festivities will begin at: 6:00 p.m
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Medinah Baptist Church,
900 Foster Ave, Medinah, Illinois

This event is not sponsored by Medinah Baptist. Please do not call them about this.
Questions? Please contact the Roger Erber family at: Info@LibertyDay.net

Apple Pie Contest
We will be serving the entries to our Apple Pie Contest as refreshments for the evening. Be sure to bring your pie! Click here for details!

Costumes!
Join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty!

Book Tables
We will have a few book tables with a select collection of resources available that evening, so be sure to take time to browse through them!

Click Here for pictures from 2008!
Click Here for pictures from 2007!
Click Here for pictures from 2006!
Click Here to view pictures from previous years!

Registration
The Liberty Day Celebration is included with your registration for the 2009 Liberty Day Conference. However, if you will be attending only the evening Celebration and not the conference, the admittance fee is: $20 per family, or $10 per individual.

To register, please print the following information and mail with payment to: Liberty Day, PO Box 354, Harvard, IL 60033

Names of registrants
Mailing address
Email address and/or phone number
Please note on the form that you are registering for the Celebration Only.

Click here for information on registering for the entire day!

2009 Conference Details

2008-12-03T15:25:00.014-06:00

The Liberty Day Committee is excited to welcome Dr. Paul Jehle as our guest speaker for the 2009 Liberty Day Conference:

Preserving Our Sacred Honor:
Principled Founders Speak Today

Dr. Jehle will discuss major colonial events, and the Declaration of Independence, but ultimately will address far more than those items themselves. We fully expect to be richly taught and inspired as we learn of the principles as well as the people and events used by God to found our nation!

Please read the following information for more details on the conference. If you have any questions you may contact us at: info@libertyday.net We hope to see you on March 21!

Conference Schedule:
Saturday, March 21
8:30am - Doors open, registration begins
9:00am - The Doctrine of Interposition
10:30am - Colonial Lawful Resistance to Tyranny
11:45am - Lunch Break
1:15pm - The Declaration as American Charter
2:45pm - Guarding the Truths of the Declaration

6:00pm ~ 11th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

Conference Location:
Medinah Baptist Church
900 Foster Ave
Medinah, Illinois 60157

Click here for a map

Please note that this is not a function of Medinah Baptist Church. If you have questions, please contact the Erber family directly at: info@libertyday.net - Thank you!

Conference Lodging:
Click Here for information on local hotels.

We do also have a group rate set at:
Holiday Inn Itasca
860 W. Irving Park Road
Itasca, IL 60143
630-773-2340

Ask for the Liberty Day rate.

Conference Meals:
There will be a room on site available for those bringing lunches and dinners with them to the conference. For those wishing to purchase their meals off site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.

Google Maps area restaurants
Mapquest area restaurants

Conference Registration:
The preregistration deadline is past!
****Click here for information on late registration!

Registration Fee
Register by March 14:
$15/individual or $35/family

Register at the door:
$20/individual or $45 family

Conference registration includes admission to the 11th Annual Liberty Day Celebration in the evening. If you are unable to attend the conference and would like to register for the Celebration only, please Click Here.

2009 Essay Contest

2008-12-02T16:50:00.000-06:00

Calling all that are mighty with the pen!

Here is your mission:
Define for us the difference between a Reformation and a Revolution. One ends in order, the other in chaos. Why? You may also consider comparing the key ideological and theological differences between America's War for Independence and the French Revolution.

For the younger student group (ages 8-12), write in your own words an exciting narrative describing the writing and/or signing of the Declaration of Independence.

E-mail it, or mail it postmarked, on or before March 7, 2009.

To: Info@libertyday.net

Or, to: Liberty Day Essay Contest
PO Box 354
Harvard, IL 60033

There are three categories, and prizes awarded to each!

Students ages 8-12 - 200-300 words
Students ages 13-18 - 400-600 words
Adults ages 19-99 - 600-800 words

Be sure to include the author's name, date of birth, phone number, and email address!

Please email essay as a Microsoft Word document, or, if mailed, essay must be printed on white paper in 12 point Times New Roman font.

Essay authors must be registered to attend the 2009 Liberty Day Conference. Authors who have not registered for Liberty Day 2009 will have their essays disqualified.

Winners will be announced during our Liberty Day Celebration on March 21, 2009 which will take place at Medinah Baptist Church, in Medinah, Illinois.

Happy writing!

2008 Liberty Day Photos

2008-04-09T10:40:00.012-05:00

Dear friends and fellow patriots,

What a delight it was to share Liberty Day with you this year! We trust you all had as much fun as we did! And we certainly hope that you were also inspired as we learned more from Dr. Foster about the history and heritage we share as Americans. If you weren't there, or would like to hear it again, recordings are available from Resounding Voice. Praise the Lord for His gift of Liberty and the opportunity to study and celebrate it!

We'd love to hear your comments! Send us an email at: info@libertyday.net

Thanks to friends who graciously took pictures for us we have some pictures from the day to share with you all. We hope you enjoy looking through the collection here!

2008 Picture Collection:

The Conference
The Celebration
The 2nd Virginia Convention
Evening Fun
Montage
WWII Stuff

The Conference

2008-04-08T15:20:00.000-05:00

The title for the 2008 Liberty Day Conference was "The American Family Tree: Our European Roots." The truth is, that Dr. Foster started his tales on European history back at the fall of Rome and led us up through the ups and downs the goods and the bads of the years since to bring us to today and to what God is doing here and now!

Dr. Foster was engaging and enthusiastic, holding attention and drawing high praises from those who had not heard him speak before.

Roger Erber, founder of Liberty Day.

The Caswell family provided welcome music during the morning registration hour, and opened a couple of the sessions with their singing.

Noah Back called everyone back from the lunch break by singing Shenandoah.

A look at the crowd - and the much more comfortable facility that housed us this year!

The Fiddler's Three brought us some fun music during the mid-afternoon break!

One of the vendors on site that day... also present selling wares was Faith & Family Books.

Thanks to the many friends and volunteers who helped us make Liberty Day 2008 a success!

WWII Stuff

2008-04-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Lautenschlager family came not only as the Fiddler's Three - providing very fun entertainment during the day and evening - but also brought their collection of WWII gear, artifacts, and stuff.

They displayed them throughout the day and spent hours conversing with attendees (including little people) about the war and the equipment.

The Field Phone
One very fun item they brought was an authentic working field phone. Throughout the day it rang frequently as conversations (or pseudo military commands) were communicated across the lobby.

Dan makes a call...

...it's ringing? What do I do now??

Hello? Hello?

Can I try that, too?

Lunch Hour Presentation
Over the lunch hour, the Lautenschlager men shared an informal presentation in the lunch room.

The Celebration

2008-04-08T12:46:00.006-05:00

Welcome

This was our 10th Annual Liberty Day Celebration! Founder of Liberty Day, Roger Erber, welcomed the crowd of several hundreds from 7 states to the 2008 Celebration.

The Fiddlers Three

The Fiddler's Three provided the first bit of entertainment. With stories of songs, and much toe-tappin' hand-clappin' music, they brought us back to the early days of Colonial America.

What fun!

The Magna Charta

As this was our 10th Anniversary, and as we had spent the day discussing Europe, we thought it appropriate bring back a skit we had several years back at a Liberty Day celebration on the signing of the Magna Charta. Only this time, we adapted the skit into a short 1940's radio drama!

Mother, daughter, and maid discuss the rising tensions between the barons and King John.

The Baron's read the Magna Charta (or a couple short portions of it!) to King John on Runnymede Meadow.

An angry King John...

Of course, what is a radio drama without live organ (above) and sound effects (below).

The Erberanteys

They're back! The Erberanteys returned once again to bring us a few laughs as they sang us a couple of old American folk songs! For the first one, they invited the Fiddlers Three back on stage to accompany them.

Flanders Fields

Two young men (Josiah & Caleb) dramatically recited both John McCrae's "In Flanders Fields" and RW Lilliards "America's Answer."

Souvenir d'Amerique

Daniel Ziesmer and Jacob Bernhardt joined us once again with their outstanding music. They not only played prelude and postlude music for us, but also entertained and impressed us with their great performance of Vieuxtemps "Souvenir d'Amerique."

The 2nd Virginia Convention
Next in the program came the annual centerpiece and highlight of the Liberty Day Celebration: the reenactment of the 2nd Virginia Convention debate and Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech. (Pictures of the reenactment can be found by clicking here)

How We Can Rebuild Western Civilization Against All Odds

After the reenactment, Dr. Foster closed the evening with a stirring message drawing it all together as he discussed the "holy cause of liberty."

Oh, but that wasn't the end. After Dr. Foster spoke, we joined our voices together in a hymn, and then the closing announcements were interrupted by an urgent message! Click Here to read about that...

The 2nd Virginia Convention

2008-04-08T12:16:00.001-05:00

The centerpiece of the evening's entertainment is the annual reenactment of the 1775 2nd Virginia Convention. It was at that event that Patrick Henry gave his "Liberty or Death" speech that is commemorated each year by Liberty Day.

The convention is opened in prayer by the Rev. Seldon.

Edmund Pendleton

Richard Henry Lee

Benjamin Harrison

Thomas Jefferson

Pendleton, again.

Robert Carter Nicholas

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Colonel George Washington

Patrick Henry

Evening Fun

2008-04-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

The messenger arrives, and races to the front of the room...

An urgent message reporting the bombing of Pearl Harbor interrupted the closing comments. "Men and Boys! Rally to protect your homes and families!"

The men and boys hurriedly and enthusiastically responded to the call!

They were soon assembled in the gym, ordered into platoons, and run through several drills.

Back in the main hallways, the ladies and girls (and some few men and boys) enjoyed chatting and refreshments as they made their way to the dance hall.

Lines were soon formed and a Reel set was danced...

...but soon our soldier men returned from their drills and paraded in to show off their new expertise. Very sharp, gentlemen!

After displaying their discipline, the troops were dismissed for the remainder of the evening, many immediately visiting the refreshment table, others joining the dance.

The evening could have continued long into the night, but soon it was time to wrap things up.

Families began to regather themselves, finish up conversations with new and old friends...

And head for home! Be sure to come back next year! March 21, 2009!

Montage

2008-04-08T10:46:00.011-05:00

Conference 2008 - Our European Roots

2008-01-30T10:46:00.004-06:00

The Liberty Day Committee is excited to welcome Dr. Marshall Foster of the Mayflower Institute as our guest speaker for the 2008 Liberty Day Conference:

America's Family Tree:
Our European Roots

March 29, 2008
Medinah Baptist Church
Medinah, Illinois

Over 500 years ago Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue and set foot upon the North American shores. From that event we often date the beginning of our great American history.

But America didn't just appear out of nothing. The story really goes back much further, and is much bigger. For the story of America is just one part of the story of what God is doing with His people.

On March 29, during the 2008 Liberty Day Conference, Dr. Marshall Foster will take us through the pages of history that led to the founding of America. He will tell us stories of heroes who paved the way, of fierce battle fought, of Truth and Liberty threatened and defended. All of which are part of our family heritage as Americans and as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Our families must be rooted in the significance of the past to stand today, and to continue the growth of God's kingdom.

Special Guests 2008

2008-01-30T10:44:00.002-06:00

We are very excited to host The Fiddler's Three as special guests for our 2008 Liberty Day Celebration. The Lautenschlagers siblings perform Celtic, American colonial, Westward expansion, and cowboy music! They'll be bringing their varied repertoire to augment our evening celebration and will give us a sneak peak at the coming fun during the last session of the conference! The Fiddler's Three will also be providing live music for the post-celebration Virginia Reel.

But that's not all their family will be sharing with us! The Lautenschlager family are also WWII enthusiasts and share their knowledge and excitement in their homestate of South Dakota through an annual Father/Son Army Day and Mother/Daughter Homefront Day.

They will be bringing a selection of their gear and supplies and fun along with them and will have them on display during the day, will share a short presentation during the lunch hour (so bring your lunch along, if you can!) and will also lead the post-celebration military drills in WWII style this year!

So bring the whole family along and enjoy the many facets of Liberty Day 2008!

2008 Essay Contest

2007-10-25T09:29:00.002-05:00

Calling all that are mighty with the pen!

Here's your mission:
Study the events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta and the principles included in the document itself. How did they lay the foundation for the American "experiment in liberty"?

For the younger student group (ages 8-12), write in your own words an exciting narrative describing the events at Runnymede.

E-mail it, or Mail it postmarked, on or before March 7, 2008.

To: Info@libertyday.net

Or, to: Liberty Day Essay Contest
PO Box 354
Harvard, IL 60033

There are three categories, and prizes awarded to each!

Students ages 8-12 - 200-300 words
Students ages 13-18 - 400-600 words
Adults ages 19-99 - 600-800 words

Be sure to include the author's name, date of birth, phone number, and email address!

Please email essay as a Microsoft Word document, or, if mailed, essay must be printed on white paper in 12 point Times New Roman font.

Winners will be announced during our Liberty Day Celebration on March 29, 2008 which will take place at Medinah Baptist Church, in Medinah, Illinois.

Happy writing!

10th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

2007-10-24T10:46:00.000-05:00

You, our friends and fellow Americans, are invited to celebrate our nation’s glorious heritage as we inflame in our hearts a richer love for this most precious gift - Liberty!

Come join us as over two hundred thirty years after Patrick Henry kindled the flame of liberty in the hearts of his hearers, with his now immortal words of liberty or death, we gather to commemorate the event.

You will laugh, learn, and perhaps even cry during this evening of family fun as with story, song, and skit we recall the principles, the men and events, the battles and the legends of ages past that have brought to us the liberty that shone America’s name across the world.

This year we are holding our celebration in conjunction with the conference: The American Family Tree: Our European Roots

The annual highlight of the evening is the exciting, fully costumed reenactment of the debate that took place during the 2nd Virginia Convention that culminates in the delivery of Patrick Henry’s famous speech.

Step back in time to March 1775, as you sit amongst George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and many others as they heatedly debate the controversial issue of their day—whether or not to go to war against their mother, England. Excitement fills the air as you grapple with the gripping arguments on each side. But, you’re not just a bystander! You, too, get to use your voice and cast your vote as one of the delegates! Aye or Nay? It's up to you!

Encasing the debate will be music (including a special presentation by The Fiddler's Three) and stories of heroes and history.

After the presentations of the evening, enjoy refreshments, join in dancing the Virginia Reel, military drills, and several other fun activities that the whole family can join in on!

Join us on March 29!
The festivities will begin at: 6:00 p.m
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Medinah Baptist Church,
900 Foster Ave, Medinah, Illinois

This event is not sponsored by Medinah Baptist. Please do not call them about this.
Questions? Please contact the Roger Erber family at: Info@LibertyDay.net

Cookies
If you are coming to the Liberty Day Celebration on Saturday night, please bring 2-dozen cookies (chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin) in a disposable container, or ziplock bag as your contribution to the merriment! It's not mandatory, but it is much appreciated, and very fun!! Thanks!

Costumes!
Join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty!

Book Tables
We will have a few book tables with a select collection of resources available that evening, so be sure to take time to browse through them!

Click Here for pictures from 2007!
Click Here for pictures from 2006!
Click Here to view pictures from previous years!

Although there is no charge for this event [the evening celebration starting at 6:00pm], a donation would be much appreciated that evening to help us cover the expenses incurred by such an event.

2008 Conference Details

2007-10-24T08:22:00.002-05:00

We're excited to welcome Dr. Marshall Foster to speak to us on America's Family Tree: Our European Roots.

Ultimately, he will discuss far more than American or European history, and we fully expect to be richly taught and inspired as we learn of the building of God's Kingdom through the course of history! Please read the following information for more details on the conference. If you have any questions you may contact us at: info@libertyday.net We hope to see you on March 29!

Conference Schedule:
Saturday, March 29
8:15am - Doors open, registration begins
9:00 - The Fall of Rome to the Birth of Christendom
10:50 - Barbarians to Bravehearts
12:00 - Lunch Break
1:30 - Divine Right Tyrants to the Liberating Reformers
2:45 - Riot and Ruin to Peace and Prosperity

6:00pm ~ 10th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

Conference Location:
Medinah Baptist Church
900 Foster Ave
Medinah, Illinois 60157

Click here for a map

Please note that this is not a church function. If you have questions, please contact the Erber family directly at: info@libertyday.net - Thank you!

Conference Lodging:
Click Here for information on local hotels.

We do also have a group rate set at:
Holiday Inn Itasca
860 W. Irving Park Road
Itasca, IL 60143
630-773-2340

Group Code: LDF
Or ask for the Liberty Day Foundation rate

Conference Meals:
There will be a room on site available for those bringing lunches and dinners with them to the conference. For those wishing to purchase their meals off site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.

Google Maps area restaurants
Mapquest area restaurants

Extra-curricular:
Be sure to check out this link for information on our special guests from South Dakota who are bringing WWII gear and artifacts, and who will set our toes tapping with their special Americana music!

Conference Registration:
To register please print the following information and mail with payment to: Liberty Day, PO Box 354, Harvard, IL 60033

Names of registrants (first and last)
Mailing address
Email address and/or phone number

Registration Fee
Register by March 22:
$15/individual or $35/family

Register at the door:
$20/individual or $45 family

2007 Conference Photos

2007-03-10T14:17:00.000-06:00

Dear friends and fellow patriots,

What a privilege it was to share the Liberty Day weekend with you this year! We trust you all had as much fun as we did! And we certainly hope that you were also inspired as we learned more about the history and heritage we share as Americans.

Thanks to our photographer, Rich Heki, we have a lot of pictures that document our weekend together very well! We hope you enjoy looking through the collection here!

Setting the Stage
The Conference
Extracurricular
The Celebration
The Evening Activities
Montage

Setting the Stage

2007-03-10T14:00:00.000-06:00

In Arlington Heights, along Euclid Avenue, sits a large, sprawling brick building. Home to Christian Liberty Academy, it has also housed our last two annual Liberty Day Celebrations!

With only just under 2 hours of prep time, we raced around unloading and setting up the several vehicle loads of stuff. Thanks to a number of willing and capable volunteers by the time the attending families started to arrive, we were ready!

The stage was set, the hour at hand, the speakers prepared, the 650+ attendees filling the seats... Liberty Day 2007 was about to begin!

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

The Conference

2007-03-10T13:54:00.000-06:00

The 2007 Liberty Day Conference title was, "Jamestown: A Quadricentennial of Providence," and while it certainly covered a lot of history, it also presented a message of hope and exhortation.

The message of hope should be obvious for any student of history. For as we see God's hand working in the events and lives of those who have gone before us, we cannot help but become more aware that His hand is also working in our lives today!

The message of exhortation is that it is not just a good thing to remember and celebrate our history - it is a prerogative to acquiring any benefit from it! If we forget it, we are as poor as if we did not have it at all. We MUST remember, we MUST learn, we MUST celebrate! Recordings of the sessions are available from Resounding Voice.

Our guest speakers for the conference were Mr. Doug Phillips, of Texas, and Mr. Bill Potter, of Virginia. It was a blessing to have them join us and we are grateful for the passion and knowledge that God has given them, and their willingness to come share it with us.

Between the sessions (there were two on Friday night, and four on Saturday) our dear friends Raeanne and Anna filled the room with lovely melodies played on harp and violin! Thanks so very much, ladies!

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

Extracurricular

2007-03-10T13:52:00.000-06:00

The event was not all lecturing! Members of Alexander Hamilton's NY Artillery displayed, demonstrated, and discussed some of their colonial tools, arms, and artifacts.

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

The Celebration

2007-03-10T13:48:00.000-06:00

Let the celebration begin! Jacob Bernhardt and Daniel Ziesmer welcomed the crowd with some wonderful music as they entered and found their seats!

Founder of Liberty Day, Roger Erber, opened the evening giving the history and heart behind the celebration.

Jacob returned to the stage to perform an incredible arrangement of "Stars & Stripes" arranged by Vladimir Horowitz. Outstanding!

After that, came time for the Essay Contest Awards! Jeremy Erber announced the winning essays and read excerpts of the winning essays in the two younger categories.

Jessica Erber came forward to read the entire winning essay in the adult category.

The Erberantey quartet took the stage next to bring us some lighter entertainment!
"The Young Volunteer" & "Revolutionary Tea"

You had to be there!

Mr. Bill Potter was introduced next and set the stage for the centerpiece of the evening program - the reenactment of the 2nd Virginia Convention.

The delegates entered, and the reenactment began.

The Rev. Seldon opens in prayer.

The Clerk reads the "minutes of yesterday"

Edmund Pendleton presents his resolution. There is some brief discussion, and it is approved.

The temperature rises when Patrick Henry presents his resolution for arming a militia!

Richard Henry Lee rises in support of Henry's resolution.

Benjamin Harrison stands in opposition to the resolution.

Thomas Jefferson responds to Mr. Harrison's concerns.

Pendleton joins the debate.

Treasurer Robert Carter Nicholas advises caution.

Thomas Nelson, Jr. urges the delegates to support Henry.

George Washington pledges to personally raise and support a troop... and then Patrick Henry himself arises to defend his resolution -

The President calls for order, and the resolution is brought to vote. Thanks to the support of all in attendance, the resolution carries by a strong vote!

Doug Phillips closed our evening with a message of inspiration, and called Bill Potter to return to the stage and tell us about "Memory Holes"

The evening was being brought to a close with hymn, thanks, and final announcements, when a messenger arrived from New York with an urgent call for recruits.

A large number of men and boys promptly responded to the call and were marched out to drill.

After the 'recruits' left, the formal celebration time was quickly wrapped up and the preparation for refreshments and the remaining fun hurriedly finished...

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

Post-Celebration Fun

2007-03-10T13:45:00.000-06:00

After being drilled in a nearby gym, the recruits returned to show off their new skills.

Armed and ready!

Hip, Hip, Huzzah! For our militia!

Another of the events of the evening - besides refreshments, talking, drilling, and book browsing - was a chance to enjoy an old pastime: the Virginia Reel.

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

Montage

2007-03-10T13:39:00.000-06:00

(We gratefully acknowledge that all these photographs were provided for the Liberty Day Foundation by Rich Heki Photography)

Liberty Day 2007

2007-02-26T11:31:00.001-06:00

What a weekend! Hundreds of people from nearly a dozen states showed up in Arlington Heights and joined in the celebration of God's work in our nation's history. We look forward to receiving the pictures from our photographer and posting them here with a full recap of the weekend... If you were there and have pictures to share with us, please send them over!

In the meantime, we'd love to hear your thoughts! What did YOU think of the weekend? Share your comments here, or send them to us via email.

Info@LibertyDay.net

For those of you who want to hear, or hear again, the session presented by Doug Phillips and Bill Potter during the weekend, email info@resoundingvoice.com for ordering information.

Final Details for Conference Attendees

2007-02-22T08:04:00.000-06:00

The Jamestown 2007 Conference and Liberty Day Celebration are upon us!

As the days have drawn closer the excitement has grown immensely around here! Families from 12 states plan to join us for this event, and we look forward to meeting you all this weekend!

There are just a few final details that we'd like to bring to your attention. Please take a minute to look over the items below, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! We'll do our best to get back to you quickly!

Blessings,
The Liberty Day Staff

------

Doors Open
Doors open at 6:00pm on Friday evening, February 23. The first session begins at 7:00pm.
Saturday morning, doors open at 8:00am, and the sessions begin at 9:00am.

Parking
Even though there are "No Parking" signs on the Ridge and Walnut Streets, the AH police dept has given us permission to park along the building side of those roads. There is also a parking lot on the corner of Walnut & Euclid that is available to park in.

Book Tables
Vision Forum and Faith and Family Books will have their book tables available for you to make purchases from throughout the weekend.

Meals
You may bring your lunch and supper with you on Saturday. There is a cafeteria on the lower level of the building in which you may eat your meals.

Colonial Displays
On Saturday in the cafeteria there will be displays from the colonial era that you should be sure to see.

Colonial Fashion Show
The conference is scheduled to be over at 3:45 on Saturday. The Liberty Day Program begins promptly at 6:00pm. During that break between the conference and the evening program there will be a Colonial Fashion Show from 5:00 - 5:30.

Cookies
If you are coming to the Liberty Day Program on Saturday night, please bring 3-dozen cookies (chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin) in a disposable container, or ziplock bag! It's not mandatory, but it is much appreciated! Thanks!

Essay Contest Winners
We received quite a number of really wonderful essays... Our judges had a challenge to choose the winners, but they will be announced during the Liberty Day Program on Saturday evening!

Costumes!
On Saturday night (or throughout the conference, too!) join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty.

At Door Registration
Registration will be available at the door. So if you, or others you know, are interested in attending but haven't registered, please come!

Location
Christian Liberty Academy is located at 502 W. Euclid Avenue, Arlington Heights, IL just east of the crossroads of Route 14 and Euclid Avenue.

Questions?
Email us at info@libertyday.net

Conference 2007 - Jamestown

2007-01-03T12:28:00.000-06:00

February 23-24, 2007
Arlington Heights, Illinois

2007 marks the first time that an American event will celebrate it’s quadricentennial anniversary!

400 years have passed since Captain John Smith and company set foot upon the North American shores and named their settlement Jamestown - the first English colony successfully established on the shores of the New World, and the birthplace of American liberty. Much can be learned and loved as we study the providences of God, the establishment of the Christian foundations for our legal system, the men God used to secure this Christian foothold in America, and so much more!

What was the state of affairs in Europe that gave rise to the English colonization of America?

How was John Smith uniquely prepared for this challenging endeavor?

What principles of life and government that we consider “American” today were established at the Jamestown settlement?

Were the native Indians the most feared enemies of the colonists?

What is the true story and historical significance of the young Indian maid, Pocahontas?

What do we and our children need to learn from all this that will help prepare us and them for the tumultuous times that we live in?

Come hear the history and the legends
brought to life on their 400th anniversary!

Learn from historians Doug Phillips and Bill Potter
just why it is so important for us to remember them!

Conference held in conjunction with:
The 9th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

Click here for more conference details:
Schedule, Location, Registration
Essay Contest

2007 Essay Contest

2007-01-03T07:57:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all of you who submitted essays to our 2007 Essay Contest! We had SUCH a hard time judging between them and choosing a single winner for each category! But we finally did, and we announced the winners at our Liberty Day Celebration in the evening of Saturday, February 24. The winners were:

Category 1:
Students age 8-12
200-250 words

Kelsie Kincell of West Virginia
Sacrifice and Perseverance in the Face of True Danger

Category 2:
Students age 13-18
250-350 words

Kristen Hammer of Wisconsin
The American Revolution Revelation

Category 3:
Adults ages 19-99
350-500 words

April Heki of Iowa
Greater Love Hath No Man

Congratulations to each of you!

~~~~~~~~~~

Topic:
A person or event from the colonial/revolutionary era that inspires you, incites respect, or exemplifies honor – especially as it relates to the establishment or defense of liberty!

2007 Conference Details

2007-01-02T10:32:00.000-06:00

Conference Schedule:
Friday, February 23:
6:00pm - Registration Begins
7:00-8:15 - History's Liberating Purpose
8:30-9:30 - Future Hope from Jamestown

Saturday, February 24:
8:00am ~ Doors Open
9:00-10:15 ~ What Set the Stage?
10:35-11:45 ~ Three Christian Heroes
11:45-1:15 ~ Lunch Break*
1:15-2:30 ~ Warfare, Bloodshed, Indians, and Providence
2:45 - 3:45 ~ An Enduring Legacy of Freedom

6:00 - 9th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

*Bring your own lunch and dinner,
or eat at one of the many restaurants in the area.
*Schedule subject to change

Conference Location:
The conference will be held in the Grace Gym at:
Christian Liberty Academy
502 West Euclid Ave
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004

Conference Registration:

We are now past the pre-registration deadline. Click here for information on registering via email or at the door.

Registration fees:
Registration postmarked on or before February 17:
$15/individual or $35/family

Registration at the door:
$20/individual, $45/family

Hotel Information:
If you're looking to spend the night at a local hotel, we've reserved a block of rooms at the Wingate Inn which is located just north of I90 at the Arlington Heights Road exit. This is a very new hotel with great accommodations which include a refrigerator & microwave in each room.

You can make reservations at a special discounted rate. Be sure to mention that you are with the "Liberty Day" group. The discounted rate for our group is $79.00 per night for either a double or a king room. They will also charge an extra $10.00 per family if there are more than two adults in the room (anyone over age 16).

Wingate Inn
2112 South Arlington Heights Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
847-434-0300

Other area hotels include:
Amerisuites - 847-956-1400
2111 S Arlington Heights Rd, AH

Courtyard by Marriott - 847-437-3344
100 W Algonquin Rd, AH

Holiday Inn Express - 847-593-9400
2120 S Arlington Heights Rd, AH

Motel 6 - 847-806-1230
441 W Algonquin Rd, AH

Red Roof Inn - 847-228-6650
22 W Algonquin Rd, AH

Meals
There will be a room on site available for those bringing lunches and dinners with them to the conference. For those wishing to purchase their meals off site, below are two links to maps of area restaurants.

Google Maps area restaurants
Mapquest area restaurants

Contact Information:
If you have questions regarding this event, please contact the Roger Erber family at:
Info@LibertyDay.net

Guest Speakers 2007

2006-09-27T09:28:00.000-05:00

We are excited to be bringing in two speakers for our 2007 Liberty Day Conference!

Doug Phillips of Vision Forum Ministries
(pictured lecturing at Monticello)

About Doug Phillips
Doug Phillips is the director of Vision Forum Ministries, a discipleship and training ministry that emphasizes Christian apologetics, worldview training, multi-generational faithfulness, and creative solutions whereby fathers can play a maximum role in family discipleship. A constitutional attorney, Doug served with the Home School Legal Defense Association for six years. He serves as Adjunct Professor of Apologetics for the Institute for Creation Research, and co-authored the book, Weapons of Our Warfare with ICR’s president Dr. John Morris. He is the author/editor of Robert Louis Dabney: The Prophet Speaks; Poems for Patriarchs; The Birkenhead Drill; The Letters & Lessons of Teddy Roosevelt for His Sons. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including WORLD, Acts and Facts, The Houston Chronicle, Education Reporter, Quit You Like Men, The Home School Court Report, The Teaching Home, Home School Digest, Home Schooling Today, Citizen Magazine, and Patriarch magazine. A strong advocate of mentorship, Doug has taught from his home intensive college-level, independent courses on apologetics, law, theology, and government to home school students and graduates. Doug and his wife, Beall, live with their eight children, Joshua, Justice, Liberty, Jubilee, Faith Evangeline, Honor, Providence, and new arrival Virginia Hope in San Antonio, Texas.

Bill Potter of old Virginia
(pictured lecturing at the point where Washington crossed the Delaware)

About Bill Potter
A consummate historian and avid bibliophile, Bill Potter brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of history wherever he goes. With a personal library in excess of 4,000 antiquated hardbacks and a background as a top Ph.D. candidate in history at the College of William and Mary, Bill has earned a well-deserved reputation as a man gifted in communicating the story of God’s providential hand in American history. Bill is also the home schooling father of eight children. He and his wife Leslie live in historic Virginia.

The 9th Annual Liberty Day Celebration

2006-09-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

You, our friends and fellow Americans, are invited to celebrate our nation’s glorious heritage as we inflame in our hearts a richer love for this most precious gift - Liberty!

Come join us as over two hundred thirty years after Patrick Henry kindled the flame of liberty in the hearts of his hearers, with his now immortal words of liberty or death, we gather to commemorate the event.

You will laugh, learn, and perhaps even cry during this evening of family fun as with story, song, and skit we recall the principles, the men and events, the battles and the legends of ages past that have brought to us the liberty that shone America’s name across the world.

This year we are holding our celebration in conjunction with the conference: Jamestown: A Quadricentennial of Providence

The annual highlight of the evening is the exciting, fully costumed reenactment of the debate that took place during the 2nd Virginia Convention that culminates in the delivery of Patrick Henry’s famous speech.

Step back in time to March 1775, as you sit amongst George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and many others as they heatedly debate the controversial issue of their day—whether or not to go to war against their mother, England. Excitement fills the air as you grapple with the gripping arguments on each side. But, you’re not just a bystander! You, too, will cast your vote as one of the delegates!

Encasing the debate will be songs and stories of heroes and history.

After the presentations of the evening, enjoy refreshments, join in dancing the Virginia Reel, military drills, and several other fun activities that the whole family can join in on!

Join us on February 24!
The festivities will begin at:
6:00 p.m
Saturday, February 24, 2006
Christian Liberty Academy (Grace Gym)
502 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights, IL.

This event is not sponsored by CLA.
Please do not call them about this.
Questions?
Please contact the Roger Erber family at:
Info@LibertyDay.net

Cookies
If you are coming to the Liberty Day Program on Saturday night, please bring 3-dozen cookies (chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin) in a disposable container, or ziplock bag! It's not mandatory, but it is much appreciated! Thanks!

Essay Contest Winners
We received quite a number of really wonderful essays... Our judges had a challenge to choose the winners, but they will be announced during the Liberty Day Program on Saturday evening!

Costumes!
Join in on the celebration by wearing a historical costume from an era that brings to mind the great men and women that defended liberty!

Book Tables
Vision Forum and Faith & Family Books will both have book tables set up that evening.

Click Here for pictures from 2006!
Click Here to view pictures from previous years!

There is no charge for this event, although a donation would be much appreciated that evening to help us cover expenses.

2009 Essay Contest - Youngest Category

2006-03-22T09:45:00.000-06:00

A Daunting Task
by Paul Hartlaub, Wisconsin

As I sat wearily at my writing desk, I thought over the events of the day. The Continental Congress had chosen me, Thomas Jefferson, and four other gentlemen: Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingstone and John Adams, to write a document declaring independence for the colonies. The movement has yet to be voted upon, but men of foresight urged that a document be written in case the delegates approve of independence.

The four other members of our committee decided that I should be the one to write the first draft. I knew how much depended on us to free our country from British tyranny! I knew that our declaration would have to be perfect because of the many critics in London. All of the delegates realized it would have to cover every aspect of independence, lest the king and his ministers should find something to pounce upon.

John Adams and I argued about which of us should write. I had finally acquiesced to John and agreed to pen the first draft. As I started to write, ideas began to flood my mind. Several nights later the document was finished. I breathed a long sigh of relief. All of the other men on the committee who were present approved. Robert Livingstone had gone back to his home in New York and I could not get his approval.

All four of us hope for independence, but if we succeed, will our descendents be able to keep it? Every delegate to congress knows that liberty will only come at a price. My hope and prayer is that we will be willing to pay it! A daunting task remains for our children, grandchildren, and the generations after them – to keep the freedoms that we are willing to die for!

2009 Essay Contest - Highschool category - Tie

2006-03-22T09:39:00.001-06:00

We had two essays awarded in this category for this year. Of course, the judging is all done blindly with the author's identity unknown to the judges, but the winners happened to be a brother and sister from Ohio.

Revolution or Reformation
by Nathan Detwiler, Ohio

The English colonies in America during the 1700’s were steeped in the Protestant understanding that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. We conclude from this that the American Revolution was largely based upon the presupposition that the Bible is the only sure foundation. The French Revolution, in comparison, was a product of the Renaissance elevation of man as the focal point of life, and a rejection of Protestant Christianity. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, France had been torn apart by various wars between the Protestant Huguenots and the Roman Catholics. In the end, the Huguenots fled France because of the severe persecution. No longer would Christianity have its preserving effect on France.

We see in history that one event leads to another; likewise the American and French Revolutions were products of a previous acceptance or rejection of Christianity. Considering the Protestant Reformation will help us understand what comprises a true reformation. The Reformation was a return to the Bible’s supremacy over all things. Luther would not recognize the authority of the Pope and Church tradition to be above or equal to Scripture. As a result the Pope excommunicated him. Despite this Luther continued to build up the Church on the Scriptures alone. Looking back through the window of time we see that this Reformation sparked two different fires. One, an orderly bonfire that we call the Reformation and the other a terrible forest fire: the Peasants’ War in Germany. We recognize from this, that reformation, if led improperly can fan a revolution into a blaze.

Let us evaluate America’s break from England. Was it a revolution or a reformation? In many aspects the American Revolution is a hybrid between a revolution and a reformation. When the colonies took up arms against their erring motherland, revolt took place. But in establishing a new government, they reformed. They borrowed what worked from other law systems. Because of this we see elements of the English common law, self-government under God, acknowledgement of the unalienable rights of man, and a strong reliance upon the Laws of Nature in the political articles of that period. And so, by these concepts a balanced government was formed. The French did not follow the course that the Americans had paved. They departed from the steady path and cantered into the realm of intellectual theories. They ascended the heavens in a cloud of fanciful hopes, only to find that when the storm struck, they fell with the rain. We must respect France because she had to defeat the still prevalent grasp of feudalism, while America’s heritage was one of comparative self-government. France’s cause was not bound to fail; rather, their presupposition (humanism) could not bear the strain of such a radical change, and thus the end result was chaos.

We see from both the Protestant Reformation and the American Revolution that reformation restores a good cause to a state of harmony by the abolishment of corruption. Reform uses peaceful and lawful means to bring about change. From the French Revolution we discover that a revolution is comprised of any type of radical change. In a political revolution, usually the people forcefully bring about the change. Not that the changes are not necessary, but the means by which the change is brought are violent, illegitimate, unlawful, and dishonest. America revolted, but they did so using the law of interposition.

We see in our present times the needs for reform, and we must as loyal citizens of the United States of America pursue all constitutional means to bring them about, for God’s glory alone!

French vs. American Revolutions
by Rachel Detwiler, Ohio

Fifteen year old, Rebecca sat in her sunny bedroom singing to herself as she sewed. Below her she could hear low murmurings. Rebecca’s father, along with many leading citizens, were discussing the need for a constitution to bring the new nation together. Rebecca’s hopes soared, “Soon there will be joy and peace at home.” Like Rebecca, many other American’s were seeing peace and prosperity close to their front door.

Ten years later, across the wide Atlantic Ocean in France another Revolutionary War was ended. Seventeen year old, Jeanne was crammed into a corner of a small, ugly room. All around her, terror was written on every face. Jeanne was in prison. But what had she done? She and her family had fallen into the hands of a Jacobin spy who accused them of being silent in the Republic of France. Like so many other French citizens Jeanne and her family lived in dread. Why were the end results so different in the American and French Revolutionary Wars?

The Colonists suffered under the abuses that were being inflicted on them by the English. Their leaders pleaded with King George III, but he refused to change his tyrannical policies. Seeing that their petitions were fruitless, they drew from their Puritan and Christian Heritages, breaking away from English tyranny. The American Revolution was a type of reformation; the reformers in the Protestant Reformation turned back to true worship of Christ; the Colonists also restored true government under God.

The French Revolutionary leaders on the other hand, were starting with themselves, thinking they could use human reasoning alone to set up a firm democratic government. Gouverneur Morris said of the French; “They have taken Genius instead of Reason for their Guide, adopted Experiment instead of Experience, and wander in the Dark because they prefer Lightning to Light.” The French Revolutionary leaders also thought that they could have complete unity, that all the people would be united as a whole. Rousseau, one of the French revolutionary leaders decreed, “whoever refuses to obey the general will, shall be constrained to do so by the whole body: which means nothing else than that he shall be forced to be ‘free’.” Forced to be free? Louis-Antoine de, another French leader said, “you must punish not only traitors, but even people who are indifferent; you must punish whoever remains passive in the Republic and does nothing for her… Between the people and their enemy there is nothing in common except the guillotine.” The French Revolution had stepped over the line.

Without Christ as France’s Savior, but instead ‘the will of the people’ as their savior, the French Revolution had boiled down to distrusting and having suspicion of everyone, which ended with terror and mass murders of all who fell under distrust. The French leaders did not have the backing that our American Fathers did; they did not have the blessing of God because they did not honor God. The end of the American Revolution was freedom and an orderly Constitutional Republic, unlike the French Revolution whose end was terror and chaos. The American leaders were following under God’s leadership, while the French leaders were following their humanistic beliefs, their foundation was on sand, and when the rain came their foundation was swept away.

2009 Essay Contest - Adult Category

2006-03-22T09:37:00.000-06:00

Reformation vs. Revolution: The Heart of the Difference
written by Mr. David Jachim, Michigan

According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary, reformation is defined as “correction or amendment of life, manners, or any thing vicious or corrupt”, while revolution is defined as “a material or entire change in the constitution of government”. In pondering these two definitions, differences can be identified that will be helpful in understanding the distinctions between the American War for Independence and the French Revolution. While reformation is concerned with aligning one’s life to an objective standard of truth, revolution is characterized by an overthrow of existing state rule. While reformation is seeking to alter the internals of the heart, revolution is looking for ways to modify the externals of those in political power. While reformation is focused on a change that benefits others, revolution is centered on changing the environment for self-seeking purposes. While reformation is pursuing to amend that which is different from its true and original intent, revolution has no higher ideal than endeavoring to alter current governmental leadership.

Having defined these important terms, let us review a number of aspects to determine why the birth of the new nation of the United States of America can be classified as the result of reformation, while the 18th century leadership change in France can be categorized as a revolution. In this review of history, there is much to be gained by emulating the principles upheld in the establishment of the land of the free and the home of the brave, while avoiding the pitfalls that were prevalent in the French Revolution.

~~

First, there was a difference of philosophy. The patriots who sought to establish an independent nation out from under the tyranny of Great Britain employed the Biblical principle of interposition, which is the concept that a lesser magistrate is right in standing up against a higher ruler when that higher official has overstepped the bounds of his jurisdiction. Interposition is based on the fact that God alone has ultimate authority and that all other authority is delegated by His hand. In contrast, those who attempted to overthrow King Louis XVI during the French Revolution were highly influenced by the man-centered principles of the Enlightenment and believed that man by himself could bring about a utopian state.

Second, there was a difference of methodology. Those in the American colonies repeatedly sought to resolve the dispute with the British crown via peaceful negotiations. It was only when those attempts were rejected that the colonists made the decision to employ armed resistance. In contrast, the French Revolution began with violence in the storming of the Bastille fortress, which was viewed as a significant symbol of the current monarchial regime. As the French Revolution progressed, the Reign of Terror was ushered in with thousands being put to death via the guillotine for alleged counter-revolutionary activities—without a trial.

Third, there was a difference in leadership. George Washington is known as the father of our country and was a man of honor with an indefatigable spirit, showed a servant view of leadership, and espoused the doctrine of providence, holding to the belief that the God of the Bible superintends the affairs of men. On the other hand, Maximillien Robespierre, who led the French Revolution, studied under the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who articulated that man was perfectible and placed man’s autonomous reason as the highest court of appeal. With these misguided ideas, Robespierre sought to create a society that would throw off the chains of the ruling class and result in a new state of egalitarianism.

Fourth, there was a difference in results. After the Treaty of Paris ended the war between the British and the Americans, a new nation was born that showed a commitment to state government by Biblical principles, including an emphasis on individual liberty. Indeed God shed His grace on this newly formed federal republic through His protection and provision. In contrast, the French Revolution brought about increased violence with Robespierre himself being executed followed by the establishment of a dictatorship through Napoleon. Rather than achieving the ideals that the French Revolution had sought of liberty, equality, and fraternity, it serves as a reminder of what happens when placing man’s worldly wisdom ahead of the teaching of Holy Scripture.

~~

In the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville journeyed from France to the United States with the assignment of determining what made this young nation so great. He discovered much during his years in this land and is commonly attributed to reaching the following insightful conclusion: “America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, it will also cease from being great." In seeing the descent that this beloved nation of ours has undergone, let us restore this nation’s greatness by returning to its source of goodness through applying reformation ideals to our lives, families, churches, and culture.

Post-Event Report!

2006-03-06T08:13:00.000-06:00

Click here for pictures from the 2006 Liberty Day Celebration!! We'd love to hear YOUR thoughts - and see your pictures! Comment here, or send them to us at: libertydayfoundation@gmail.com

The conference was great. Dr. Jehle is a gifted speaker and held everyone's attention closely through the day. Starting with Genesis 1:1, he moved forward from there discussing principles of government, the constitution, and history articulately - educating and inspiring young and old alike.

The conference was recorded, and those of you interested in purchasing a copy of the excellent sessions, can visit Resounding Voice to order the set.

Then came the evening. It was our 8th annual Liberty Day celebration and, from reports we hear, better than ever - despite a handful of glitches that had certain ones of us holding our breaths!! But still, it was a very fun evening and the eloquence of Dr. Jehle and Patrick Henry stand as complimentary rivals for the status of "highlight of the evening." More on the celebration here!

The room was packed! The chairs were filled, and the back and sides of the room were lined with additional attendees! In addition to the 450 who attended the conference during the day, another 100 or so showed up just for the evening!

Those of you who were unable to join us, we wish you could have been there! You missed a really wonderful day!

Those who were there - we'd love to hear what you thought!

2006 Liberty Day Pictures!

2006-03-05T12:59:00.000-06:00

Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!
Fun, inspiration, costumes, music, stories -
below is a small selection of photos from the delightful
evening of March 4 , Liberty Day 2006!

Lots of great costumes!

These young ladies traveled from Massachussetts to join us! With their fathers, they assisted Dr. Jehle during the day, and each also added a few minutes to Dr. Jehle's presentations during the conference.

The delegates prepare for the debate...

A few delegates (Henry, Nelson, and Riddick) step out of character to manage the sound system!

Jacob (piano) and Daniel (violin) provided us with some fabulous music before the program, as well as performing and an impressive arrangement of Yankee Doodle for us!

Despite the need to correct two strings that slipped miserably out of tune, Joanna (violin) and Raeanne (harp) delighted us with a simple arrangement of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee"

A brief review of colonial government and their relationship with the Crown preceeded the center piece of the evening... the 2nd Virginia Convention.

Rev. Seldon prepares to enter and open the Convention in prayer.

Mr. Riddick kneels as the Reverend prays.

The clerk of the Convention reads the minutes from the previous day's deliberations, while President Randolph and Rev. Seldon look on.

Mr. Edmund Pendleton argues against the resolutions of Mr. Patrick Henry

"Let my trade perish!" cries Mr. Thomas Nelson, Jr. as he voices his support of Patrick Henry - and his willingness to sacrifice all for his country.

Mr. Robert Carter Nicholas cautions against raising a militia.

Mr. Thomas Jefferson declares the acts of Parliament to be that of a foreign power and must therefore be resisted!

Col. George Washington volunteers his services in the cause of his country.

Finally, Mr. Patrick Henry arises eloquently answering the arguments against him, ending, of course, with his famous line "Give me liberty, or give me death!"

Mr. Richard Bland calls for a vote to be taken on the resolutions of Mr. Patrick Henry.

After the dramatic conclusion to the debate, Rebecca took the stage to sing one of the most popular hymns of the colonial era, Chester, which tells of the victories God has given the young colonies over the established armies of England.

Then came a 1940's Radio Drama style presentation about Henry Laurens - a man who was called "The Father of our Country" by George Washington himself. Complete with music, sound effects, ads, and "news later tonight," the drama took us back to the era of radio.

After singing the solemn and reflective "Faded Coat of Blue" the quartet changed moods for a parody on the folk song "Just Before The Battle"

For many, though, the highlight of the evening was hearing Dr. Jehle dramatically recount stories of 4 influential Bostonians - and the lessons we can learn from them! Excellent!

We all stood to sing, then, after a closing prayer, Jacob and Daniel returned to the stage to dismiss us with more great music!

After the program, the young men were invited to learn and perform some simple military maneuvers directed by a handful of the delegates.

We hope you can join us next year!

Conference 2006

2006-01-20T18:19:00.000-06:00

Does just hearing the word “Constitution” make your head ache, your stomach tighten, and your eyes water? Or maybe it kicks your yawning reflexes into full gear?

Not so in the late 18th century!

After years of war, and struggling with an ineffective infant government, “Constitution” was a word of excitement, controversy, and hope, as they sought to preserve their newly won liberties for posterity.

It now falls to us and to our children, to preserve the freedoms they gave us.

Unfamiliar with the document, most of us are unprepared for such a role, and often don’t recognize errors in modern attacks upon the constitution!

Here lies an opportunity for preparation. An opportunity to better understand the treasure that we have been given, and what we are to do with it.

~~~~~

Who were the men that wrote it?
Why did they write it?
What is it all about?
What does it mean today?
Has it changed over time?
What about the amendments?
The Bill of Rights?
Does any of it really matter anyway?

Join us for this conference and clear the cobwebs around this important document - a document that is really fairly short and to the point!

Dr. Paul Jehle, a pastor and historian from Plymouth, Massachusetts, comes to Illinois to walk us through the history and the controversy, the contents and the practical application of this famous document.

Guest Speaker

Over the years we have had the great privilege of participating in the Vision Forum Faith & Freedom Tours. Our guest speaker, Dr. Paul Jehle, has been one of the highlights of the tours in the New England area. We have immensely enjoyed Dr. Jehle’s presentations not only because of his speaking style, but because of the tremendous insights and biblical lessons he has drawn from history.

You are in for a treat!

Dr. Jehle is senior pastor of the New Testament Church of Cedarville in Plymouth, Massachusetts, president and founder of Heritage Institute Ministries, principal and founder of the New Testament Christian School, as well as serving as Plymouth Rock Foundation’s education director since 1988. Dr. Jehle has earned master’s and doctorate degrees in education. Dr. Jehle has traveled nationally and internationally to bring biblical worldview training to Christians in the areas of education, history, political statesmanship, and church ministry.

Recordings of this conference are now available on CD through Resounding Voice. This is a "must have" resource for every serious Christian American. Dr. Jehle far exceeded our already high expectations, and gave those in attendance an absolutely incredible weekend. You need to hear this!

Sessions include:
The Context: The Men & The Making
The Content: What They Wrote
The Concerns: Amendments
Correction or Catastrophe: Why it Matters

Pictures from Past Liberty Day Celebrations

2006-01-17T19:50:00.000-06:00

When we began celebrating Liberty Day in 1999 it was a much smaller event than it is today. The first couple of years we held the celebration in our living room, and then held it in our basement before needing to move to larger facilities. Obviously, these pictures reflect the changes over the years from simple to more elaborate!

Click Here for more pictures!

More Pictures from Liberty Day Celebrations

2006-01-17T10:44:00.000-06:00

What Is Liberty Day?

2006-01-16T19:23:00.005-06:00

IN 1999, OUR FAMILY wrote and signed a resolution establishing the anniversary of Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech, March 23 1775, as a day for us and our posterity to set aside to bring to remembrance past defenders of Liberty, to stir into our hearts a deeper love for, and understanding of, Liberty, and to “beseech the Most High for Liberty in our day.”

OUR FIRST celebration saw just our family sitting around the living room, and had only one day of preparation (in the morning, Dad told to have something ready for that evening). Even small as it was, however, each individual brought something meaningful to share - Dad and the younger ones did a short semi-impromptu skit, the older ones brought poetry, letters, stories, and songs of liberty, remembrance, and honor. Together we laughed and cried as we recalled people and events from the Roman times, old Europe, the American War for Independence, through the Alamo to recent American struggles. Our evening ended with prayer and a firm resolution that this would happen again!

SINCE THAT TIME, each year has seen us enjoying great celebrations in which we have been joined by friends and family. Over the years we have found ourselves needing larger facilities as more people join us for this special event. As in the past, this year’s program will include songs, stories, poetry, skits, speeches, dialogs, musical performances, and tributes all addressing Liberty - her principles, her history, and her defenders.

THIS YEAR, the Liberty Day celebration is being held on March 10, 2012. Please note that the celebration is being held in conjunction with the 2012 Family Economics Conference in Wheaton, IL. Registration for the Liberty Day celebration is complimentary with your Family Economics Conference registration. Click here to register!

Who Were the Men?

2006-01-16T15:00:00.033-06:00

Over 120 men assembled in March of 1775 for the Second Virginia Convention - an influential gathering that would primarily be remembered for Patrick Henry's immortal words "I know not what course others may take, but as for me: Give me liberty or give me death!"

His compatriots cheered. His opponents argued. But who were they?

Each year we celebrate the anniversary of Henry's speech with a reenactment of the debate. 13 men are featured in it, and we have included brief biographical information on them below in order of their appearance in the debate. Some names are very familiar, others are less so. Still others, we know almost nothing about!

President Peyton Randolph

acted by Mr. Roger Erber
Peyton Randolph was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1748 were he was subsequently elected to the chair. Originally opposed to the “radical faction” of Burgesses, he became more in favor of independence as friction between Britain and its colonies increased. Randolph was selected to chair both the First and Second Continental Congresses, in large part due to his reputation for leadership while in the House of Burgesses. He did not, however, live to see independence for the nation he led; Randolph died in Philadelphia, in October of 1775.

Rev. Miles Seldon
acted by Mr. Will Carlson
The Reverend Miles Seldon was appointed Rector of St. John’s Church in 1752. He continued to serve the Richmond, Virginia church until the time of his death in 1785.

John Tazewell - the Clerk
Not a burgess, John Tazewell was a frequent visitor to the House, a relative of the Randolph family, and an attorney by profession. His appointment as clerk, however, was primarily based on the fact that he lived in Williamsburg and would be readily available when needed.

Richard Bland
Before his election to the House of Burgesses, Richard Bland served both as a justice of the peace and an officer in the militia. After his election to the burgesses in 1742, his thoughtful work made him one of its leaders, although he was never a strong speaker. While others get more credit for the idea of "no taxation without representation," the full argument for this position seems to come from Richard Bland.

Although at the 2nd Virginia convention he was opposed to taking up arms, by the Convention's meeting in July his views had been changed and he voiced strong opposition to the British administration.

Edmund Pendleton
acted by Mr. Brian Webb
Edmund Pendleton received little in the way of formal education, yet began practicing law at age twenty. Although a leading conservative in the House of Burgesses, he became an outstanding opponent of British colonial policies. Following the death of Peyton Randolph, Pendleton was elected to serve as president of the 4th and 5th Virginia Conventions. The Virginia Convention to ratify the Federal Constitution also elected Pendleton to chair their assembly.

In 1788 Washington appointed Pendleton to the new Federal Judiciary, a job he declined due to advancing age. He continued to serve as the President of the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals until his death in 1803.

Robert Carter Nicholas

acted by Mr. Nathan DeLadurantey

Nicholas was another of Virginia's leading conservative patriots. As a member of the Burgesses he helped draft resolutions against the proposed Stamp Act in 1764. Nicholas was not amongst the group of “radical” members, led by Patrick Henry. He did, however, introduce a resolution setting aside June 1 as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer in sympathy with embargoed Boston.

Though Nicholas was never an advocate of independence from Britain, his legal skill and personal integrity earned him the greatest respect from his contemporaries. His allegiances would remain with the Crown, although it appears he grappled with his decision throughout the final two years of colonyhood.

Patrick Henry
acted by Mr. Joshua Erber
Inspired by the Reverend Samuel Davies, young Patrick Henry soon became known for his eloquence and passion in speaking – often called the trumpet of the revolution. Primarily self-taught, he became a respected lawyer, and feared opponent in the House of Burgesses. During the war, he served as the first post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776-79, an office he held again from 1784-86.

After the war, Henry was a critic of the United States Constitution and urged against its adoption, arguing that it gave the federal government too much power. He was instrumental in the adoption of the Bill of Rights to amend the new Constitution.

Richard Henry Lee

acted by Mr. Jeremy Erber
In 1761 Richard Henry Lee was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. An early advocate of independence, he became one of the first to create Committees of Correspondence among the many independence-minded Americans in the various colonies. In 1774, Lee was elected to the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and later became an officer in the militia. In “Lee's Resolution,” Lee put forth the motion to create a Declaration of Independence. Due to Lee's absence from the Congress because of his wife's illness, Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write it.

In 1785 Lee served as the sixth President of the United States under the Articles of Confederation. He opposed the Constitution as creating too powerful a central government. It was through his urgings that the Tenth Amendment was created. Lee was elected by the state legislature of Virginia to be one of its first two United States Senators, but he was forced to resign in 1792 due to ill health.

Benjamin Harrison

acted by Mr. Dan Weise
Benjamin Harrison was elected to the House of Burgesses at the age of 38. In 1764, when the House defied the Royal Governor and passed the Stamp Act Resolutions, the Governor tried to bribe Harrison with an appointment to the executive council. He refused the appointment. Elected to the Continental Congress in 1774, he was one of a party of representatives who attended General Washington in Cambridge to plan the future of the American Army. Though he voted against Henry’s resolution, after the motion carried he worked towards its success. He was elected Governor of the State of Virginia in 1782, a position he held for 5 years.

His son, William Henry Harrison, and his great-grandson, Benjamin Harrison, served as the 9th and 23rd presidents of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson

acted by Mr. Joseph Erber
One of the more famous members of the second Virginia convention, Thomas Jefferson was a strong, though usually silent, supporter of the cause of the colonies, contributing his pen more often than his voice to the debates.

During the Revolution, Jefferson served as governor of Virginia (1779-1781), and afterwards as minister to France (1785–1789). He did not attend the Constitutional Convention. He did generally support the new Constitution, although he thought the document flawed for lack of a Bill of Rights. After serving in multiple offices at home and abroad, Thomas Jefferson was elected Vice-President under John Adams in 1796. Four years later, was elected as the third president of the United States.

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

acted by Mr. Ethan Webb
Thomas Nelson was first elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1761. In 1774 when Governor Dunmore dismissed the Burgesses, Nelson was a member of the convention that met in response. He was an active voice in reorganizing the militia outside of Tory control. He was named Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Regiment, but resigned the post when elected to the Continental Congress later in 1775. He later succeeded Thomas Jefferson as governor of Virginia.

Respected by his colleagues, Nelson was an honorable merchant, statesman, and soldier. When the British attacked Yorktown in 1781, Nelson was forced to flee his home. During the siege he led the local militia in attacking and destroying his own house, which the British had chosen to use as their headquarters. His home was never rebuilt and the plot remains empty to this day in memory of his personal sacrifice.

Col. George Washington

acted by Mr. Jonathan Erber
Just weeks after lending his voice and volunteering his sword in support of Henry’s resolution, war broke out at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775. When Congress convened in May of that year, Washington arrived in military uniform, and in June he was unanimously selected to serve as commander-in-chief of the colonial forces. He assumed command on July 3, 1775.

His character and accomplishments during the years of the war are well known, and too numerous to mention here. In honor of his service to our nation during his military years, Washington was, by act of congress, posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies, outranking all other generals, and it was declared that no other U.S. military officer could ever outrank Washington.

In 1787, he presided over the Constitutional Convention, and in 1789 was unanimously elected the first President of the United States.

William Riddick
William (or Willis) Riddick was elected to the House of Burgesses in 1756. In 1768, William Riddick worked with George Washington surveying the “Dismal swamp.”

Although he opposed Henry’s resolution in 1775, a year later, in 1776, William Riddick was appointed a lieutenant of the militia – a position he continued to hold until shortly before his death in 1782. In 1779, during the British pillage of Suffolk, Virginia, the redcoats went out of their way to set fire to Mr. Riddick’s home, and barns. Destroying not only the public property of which he was steward, but also his own property, furniture, buildings and crops.

(Various internet resources were used in gathering most of this information. And there is so much more that could be said about each one here! Happy researching!)

The Farmer and His Representative

2006-01-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

In the early 1800’s a farmer persuaded his representative of the unconstitutionality of a decision he had made. Could you?

Not Yours To Give
Col. David Crockett
US Representative from Tennessee

Originally published in "The Life of Colonel David Crockett," by Edward Sylvester Ellis.

One day in the House of Representatives a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Crockett arose:

"Mr. Speaker--I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the sufferings of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this House, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has not the power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him.

"Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week's pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks."

He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and, of course, was lost.

Later, when asked by a friend why he had opposed the appropriation, Crockett gave this explanation:

"Several years ago I was one evening standing on the steps of the Capitol with some other members of Congress, when our attention was attracted by a great light over in Georgetown. It was evidently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast as we could. In spite of all that could be done, many houses were burned and many families made houseless, and, besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold, and when I saw so many women and children suffering, I felt that something ought to be done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it through as soon as it could be done.

"The next summer, when it began to be time to think about election, I concluded I would take a scout around among the boys of my district. I had no opposition there, but, as the election was some time off, I did not know what might turn up. When riding one day in a part of my district in which I was more of a stranger than any other, I saw a man in a field plowing and coming toward the road. I gauged my gait so that we should meet as he came to the fence. As he came up, I spoke to the man. He replied politely, but, as I thought, rather coldly.

"I began: 'Well, friend, I am one of those unfortunate beings called
candidates, and---‘

"Yes I know you; you are Colonel Crockett. I have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were elected. I suppose you are out electioneering now, but you had better not waste your time or mine, I shall not vote for you again."

"This was a sockdolager...I begged him to tell me what was the matter.

" ’Well, Colonel, it is hardly worth-while to waste time or words upon it. I do not see how it can be mended, but you gave a vote last winter which shows that either you have not capacity to understand the Constitution, or that you are wanting in the honesty and firmness to be guided by it. In either case you are not the man to represent me. But I beg your pardon for expressing it in that way. I did not intend to avail myself of the privilege of the constituent to speak plainly to a candidate for the purpose of insulting or wounding you. I intend by it only to say that your understanding of the Constitution is very different from mine; and I will say to you what, but for my rudeness, I should not have said, that I believe you to be honest.
…But an understanding of the Constitution different from mine I cannot overlook, because the Constitution, to be worth anything, must be held sacred, and rigidly observed in all its provisions. The man who wields power and misinterprets it is the more dangerous the more honest he is.'

" 'I admit the truth of all you say, but there must be some mistake about it, for I do not remember that I gave any vote last winter upon any constitutional question.’

“ ‘No, Colonel, there’s no mistake. Though I live in the backwoods and seldom go from home, I take the papers from Washington and read very carefully all the proceedings of Congress. My papers say that last winter you voted for a bill to appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in Georgetown. Is that true?’

" ‘Well, my friend; I may as well own up. You have got me there. But certainly nobody will complain that a great and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its suffering women and children, particularly with a full and overflowing Treasury, and I am sure, if you had been there, you would have done just as I did.'

" ‘It is not the amount, Colonel, that I complain of; it is the principle. In the first place, the government ought to have in the Treasury no more than enough for its legitimate purposes. But that has nothing with the question. The power of collecting and disbursing money at pleasure is the most dangerous power that can be entrusted to man, particularly under our system of collecting revenue by a tariff, which reaches every man in the country, no matter how poor he may be, and the poorer he is the more he pays in proportion to his means. What is worse, it presses upon him without his knowledge where the weight centers, for there is not a man in the United States who can ever guess how much he pays to the government. So you see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off than he. If you had the right to give anything, the amount was simply a matter of discretion with you, and you had as much right to give $20,000,000 as $20,000. If you have the right to give to one, you have the right to give to all; and, as the Constitution neither defines charity nor stipulates the amount, you are at liberty to give to any and everything which you may believe, or profess to believe, is a charity, and to any amount you may think proper. You will very easily perceive what a wide door this would open for fraud and corruption and favoritism, on the one hand, and for robbing the people on the other. 'No, Colonel, Congress has no right to give charity. Individual members may give as much of their own money as they please, but they have no right to touch a dollar of the public money for that purpose. If twice as many houses had been burned in this county as in Georgetown, neither you nor any other member of Congress would have thought of appropriating a dollar for our relief. There are about two hundred and forty members of Congress. If they had shown their sympathy for the sufferers by contributing each one week's pay, it would have made over $13,000. There are plenty of wealthy men in and around Washington who could have given $20,000 without depriving themselves of even a luxury of life.' "The congressmen chose to keep their own money, which, if reports be true, some of them spend not very creditably; and the people about Washington, no doubt, applauded you for relieving them from the necessity of giving by giving what was not yours to give. The people have delegated to Congress, by the Constitution, the power to do certain things. To do these, it is authorized to collect and pay moneys, and for nothing else. Everything beyond this is usurpation, and a violation of the Constitution.'

" 'So you see, Colonel, you have violated the Constitution in what I consider a vital point. It is a precedent fraught with danger to the country, for when Congress once begins to stretch its power beyond the limits of the Constitution, there is no limit to it, and no security for the people. I have no doubt you acted honestly, but that does not make it any better, except as far as you are personally concerned, and you see that I cannot vote for you.'

"I tell you I felt streaked. I saw if I should have opposition, and this man should go to talking, he would set others to talking, and in that district I was a gone fawn-skin. I could not answer him, and the fact is, I was so fully convinced that he was right, I did not want to. But I must satisfy him, and I said to him:

" ‘Well, my friend, you hit the nail upon the head when you said I had not sense enough to understand the Constitution. I intended to be guided by it, and thought I had studied it fully. I have heard many speeches in Congress about the powers of Congress, but what you have said here at your plow has got more hard, sound sense in it than all the fine speeches I ever heard. If I had ever taken the view of it that you have, I would have put my head into the fire before I would have given that vote; and if you will forgive me and vote for me again, if I ever vote for another unconstitutional law I wish I may be shot.'

"He laughingly replied; 'Yes, Colonel, you have sworn to that once before, but I will trust you again upon one condition. You say that you are convinced that your vote was wrong. Your acknowledgment of it will do more good than beating you for it. If, as you go around the district, you will tell people about this vote, and that you are satisfied it was wrong, I will not only vote for you, but will do what I can to keep down opposition, and, perhaps, I may exert some little influence in that way.'

" ‘If I don't’, said I, 'I wish I may be shot; and to convince you that I am in earnest in what I say I will come back this way in a week or ten days, and if you will get up a gathering of the people, I will make a speech to them. Get up a barbecue, and I will pay for it.'

" ‘No, Colonel, we are not rich people in this section, but we have plenty of provisions to contribute for a barbecue, and some to spare for those who have none. The push of crops will be over in a few days, and we can then afford a day for a barbecue. This is Thursday; I will see to getting it up on Saturday week. Come to my house on Friday, and we will go together, and I promise you a very respectable crowd to see and hear you.’

" 'Well, I will be here. But one thing more before I say good-bye. I must know your name.’

" 'My name is Bunce.'

" 'Not Horatio Bunce?'

" 'Yes.’

" 'Well, Mr. Bunce, I never saw you before, though you say you have seen me, but I know you very well. I am glad I have met you, and very proud that I may hope to have you for my friend.'

"It was one of the luckiest hits of my life that I met him. He mingled but little with the public, but was widely known for his remarkable intelligence and incorruptible integrity, and for a heart brimful and running over with kindness and benevolence, which showed themselves not only in words but in acts. He was the oracle of the whole country around him, and his fame had extended far beyond the circle of his immediate acquaintance. Though I had never met him, before, I had heard much of him, and but for this meeting it is very likely I should have had opposition, and had been beaten. One thing is very certain, no man could now stand up in that district under such a vote.

"At the appointed time I was at his house, having told our conversation to every crowd I had met, and to every man I stayed all night with, and I found that it gave the people an interest and a confidence in me stronger than I had ever seen manifested before.

"Though I was considerably fatigued when I reached his house, and, under ordinary circumstances, should have gone early to bed, I kept him up until midnight, talking about the principles and affairs of government, and got more real, true knowledge of them than I had got all my life before.

"I have known and seen much of him since, for I respect him - no, that is not the word - I reverence and love him more than any living man, and I go to see him two or three times every year; and I will tell you, sir, if every one who professes to be a Christian lived and acted and enjoyed it as he does, the religion of Christ would take the world by storm.

"But to return to my story. The next morning we went to the barbecue, and, to my surprise, found about a thousand men there. I met a good many whom I had not known before, and they and my friend introduced me around until I had got pretty well acquainted - at least, they all knew me.

"In due time notice was given that I would speak to them. They gathered up around a stand that had been erected. I opened my speech by saying:

" ‘Fellow-citizens - I present myself before you today feeling like a new man. My eyes have lately been opened to truths which ignorance or prejudice, or both, had heretofore hidden from my view. I feel that I can today offer you the ability to render you more valuable service than I have ever been able to render before. I am here today more for the purpose of acknowledging my error than to seek your votes. That I should make this acknowledgment is due to myself as well as to you. Whether you will vote for me is a matter for your consideration only.’"

"I went on to tell them about the fire and my vote for the appropriation and then told them why I was satisfied it was wrong. I closed by saying:

" ‘And now, fellow-citizens, it remains only for me to tell you that the most of the speech you have listened to with so much interest was simply a repetition of the arguments by which your neighbor, Mr. Bunce, convinced me of my error.

" ‘It is the best speech I ever made in my life, but he is entitled to the
credit for it. And now I hope he is satisfied with his convert and that he will get up here and tell you so.'

"He came upon the stand and said:

" ‘Fellow-citizens - It affords me great pleasure to comply with the request of Colonel Crockett. I have always considered him a thoroughly honest man, and I am satisfied that he will faithfully perform all that he has promised you today.'

"He went down, and there went up from that crowd such a shout for Davy Crockett as his name never called forth before.'

"I am not much given to tears, but I was taken with a choking then and felt some big drops rolling down my cheeks. And I tell you now that the remembrance of those few words spoken by such a man, and the honest, hearty shout they produced, is worth more to me than all the honors I have received and all the reputation I have ever made, or ever shall make, as a member of Congress.'

"Now, sir," concluded Crockett, "you know why I made that speech yesterday.

"There is one thing now to which I will call your attention. You remember that I proposed to give a week's pay. There are in that House many very wealthy men - men who think nothing of spending a week's pay, or a dozen of them, for a dinner or a wine party when they have something to accomplish by it. Some of those same men made beautiful speeches upon the great debt of gratitude which the country owed the deceased--a debt which could not be paid by money--and the insignificance and worthlessness of money, particularly so insignificant a sum as $10,000, when weighed against the honor of the nation. Yet not one of them responded to my proposition. Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it."

Liberty Day Resolution

2006-01-14T13:10:00.000-06:00

Whereas Liberty is the fertile soil in which God’s people can most effectively flourish;

Whereas throughout the ages men have so valiantly given their lives for this liberty which we hold so dearly and ought defend with the same passionate zeal;

Whereas the Scriptures repeatedly command us to proclaim liberty; and our Savior, Himself, came to set men at liberty;

Whereas on this Twenty-third day of March in the year of our Lord, Seventeen Hundred Seventy-five, Patrick Henry did so nobly arise and denounce the irresponsibility of the elected sentinels of liberty; and,

Whereas the cause of Liberty is growing weaker with the years of selfish life and ought to be revived before it is wholly extinguished; it is therefore

Resolved: that this day, the twenty-third of March, should be ever set apart for the commemorating of liberty. It should be observed by the recounting of various noble deeds attending liberty, the reciting of past orations, and numerous original speeches that would stir the hearts of mankind to beseech the most high for liberty in this day in which tyranny is pressing in.

The Mantle of Liberty

2005-12-02T15:43:00.001-06:00

A Legacy of Heroes & Heritage of Leaders
Liberty Day 2005

Tonight we gather, not just to recall interesting stories of former days, but also to remember Liberty’s defenders, her evangelists, her principles, and her heroes. The centerpiece of this evening’s festivities, the 2nd Virginia Convention, shows perhaps one of the greatest struggles of the battle for independence: the struggle of the leaders. Before them lay no easy task. They couldn’t merely decided what they personally would do, for upon their shoulders rested the destiny of a nation. Could they – should they – choose to take a course of action that would require every citizen of Virginia to suffer the same sacrifice that they were willing to make?

Ultimately, as principled men, they had no choice. Regardless of the probabilities that stood against them, Truth required them to make the hard decision; a decision in favor of following an untrodden road – whose end they didn’t know and might never see. A road that would require the sacrifice of pleasure, comfort and peace for the sake of a clear conscience; for the sake of their children’s pleasure, comfort and peace; and even for the sake of the children of the very men who were pillaging their homes, killing their families, burning their churches, destroying their land and doing all the other wretched things we love to hate the tyrant Tories for.

But what would make them choose such a road? How could they understand the sacrifice, and still move forward? Looking back it is easy for us to say we would have done the same thing as they did. But at the time – looking the mighty British Empire in the face with a few thousand untrained militia men who had nothing but well-used guns in their hands and firm resolution in their hearts, and with less than 1/3 of the popular support throughout the colonies – would we have really been able to carry that responsibility of leadership upon our shoulders?

To learn the answer to that question, we must take a minute to look at their virtues:

They were Christians. They may not have all been theologians, but they understood the principles of Christianity, and understood that God was in the process of building His kingdom, of which kingdom they were a part. In fact, in discussing the Tea Tax that led to the Boston Tea Party, John Adams contended that it must be resisted, lest England, being deceived by the improper growth of her authority, come and take over their churches.

They were scholars and laymen, farmers and merchants, men from all walks of life. But they held in common an understanding of present issues, and a strength of character that won for them the confidence of the people who elected them. They were leaders, who were elected to lead.

They were also historians. Heroes always have heroes, and these men were no exception. Not only did they find heroes in past and present men, but they also found principles to follow and things to avoid. They were well studied in biblical government, in the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and so much more. They understood the cause and effect of human actions through witnessing them in ages past – and they understood that there IS a just God Who rules over the destinies of nations.

But as Dr. David Vaughan comments in his book, The Pillars of Leadership:
“We are not so naïve as to think that yesterday’s leaders were perfect. They were not. Each one was subject as are we, to the fatal flaw of original sin. So, to discover their failings takes no talent at all. C.S. Lewis observed, a critic is always a second-rate man. It takes no virtue to discover vice. But it does take virtue to emulate virtue.”

Today we find again a need for leadership. Although we may not be facing guns and “Lobsterback” bayonets, there is a battle at hand and Christians are needed to rise up again to the call of leadership. We alone are the ones who are able to rightly lead this country – and the entire world – in the direction it should go. Like our heroes of the past, we need to study our forefathers who have been faced with similarly world-changing decisions and learn the secrets to their strengths. Then we need to ask, do we have the virtue to emulate their virtue? Are our children being raised with the virtue and understanding necessary to carrying on the work when we are done, and facing the battles of their own day?

In The Pillars of Leadership, Dr. Vaughan also observes:
“Since imitation is natural, our young people will search for, and find, examples to copy. The urgent questions is, therefore, who shall serve as models? The drugged rock stars and corrupt celebrities of the present, or the noble leaders and virtuous examples of the past? With few reliable role models in the present why not mine the rich resources of past achievement and valor? Why be improvised by a meager modernity when we can be enriched by a prosperous past? Why not hold before our eyes, and the eyes of our children, images of courage, and duty, and faith, and sacrifice that have passed the test of historical scrutiny? In short, why stumble over pygmies when we can stand upon giants?"

The heroes and legacies left by the Church of Christ over the past two thousand years are the greatest giants we can stand upon. But we cannot stand upon them unless we understand why they stood, why they stood when they stood, what they stood for, how they stood – and for Whom they stood. Admiration alone will not enable us to see what they saw and stand as they did. We must study not just the places and particulars, and not just the people. We must study the principles. And then, by the grace of God, live and breathe them ourselves. It is not sufficient to be able to answer a trivia question regarding them, we must so understand the vision and principles that, given of God, inspired their lives, that in the times of greatest ease or pressure we live them out.

Hundreds of thousands of men and women throughout history have given their lives so that they might hand to their children a land, a church, and a heritage even better than the one they themselves had received. Our lives, however simple or profound they may be, will add for better or for worse to the heritage that we leave to our children.

We must stop and consider. We have been given a vast treasure. What are we going to do with it? What will be left of it when we give it to our children? It IS in our hands and will be effected by us. Will our handling it enhance its richness? Or will we merely leave the evidence of smudged fingerprints. We can neither deny bearing the mantle, or our role in legacy building. Nor can we pretend that the little things of our daily lives don’t matter. They do.

In short we must ask ourselves: Will we stumble with the pygmies? Or stand upon the shoulders giants?

Greater Love Hath No Man

2005-02-28T10:59:00.002-06:00

Greater Love Hath No Man
by April Heki

2007 Essay Contest Winning Essay
Category III, ages 19+

After much deliberation and debate, the time was upon the members of the 2nd Continental Congress to make the decision between loyalty to Great Britain or declaring America an independent nation. The delegates had agreed that this undertaking, being of such great importance, should only be done with unanimous consent. New York was abstaining but all the other colonies were in favor of independence, that is, all except Delaware. The two delegates present were split, Thomas McKeen in favor of the act of declaring independence and George Read in opposition. The vote of the state of Delaware and ultimately the fate of the nation lay in the hands of one man, Caesar Rodney.

Mr. Rodney, attending to loyalist uprisings at the time, received word from McKeen on July 1, 1776 of the gravity of their situation. Rodney immediately set out for Philadelphia, riding all through the night of the first and into the morning of the second. He arrived at the Pennsylvania Statehouse, haggard from the exertion of his eighty mile journey through rain and thunder and the toll it had taken on his already failing health, in time to cast the deciding vote for independence.

Caesar Rodney’s declaration was wrought with conviction, dedication and courage. It is believed he stated, “As I believe the voice of my constituents and of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence, my own judgment concurs. I vote for independence.”

The delegates of the thirteen colonies had unanimously come to the decision to absolve “from all Allegiance to the British Crown” and declare America the right to be “Free and Independent States.” Not a one in the assembly of delegates gathered to make the crucial decision to abdicate from the rule of their mother country was ignorant of the consequences thereof. All knew that such an action was akin to signing their own death warrant.

But yet, at the same time, they knew that their attempt at liberty was not in vain. They would fight and if they prevailed, would indeed obtain the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But what of this man Rodney? He who had just opted to cut off all ties from the mother country had, in so doing, cut off his only hope for his own life. For he was being consumed by the ravages of face cancer and his only hope lay in treatment in England.

“With a firm Reliance on the Protection of divine Providence,” Rodney joined the others in mutually pledging “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor,” and in so doing, pledged his life unto death.

He understood and applied in regard to freedom what the Lord taught in His Holy Word: “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one that this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

The American Revolution Revelation

2005-02-28T10:59:00.001-06:00

The American Revolution Revelation
by Miss Kristen Hammer

2007 Essay Contest Winning Essay
Category II, ages 13-18

As a child, I wished that I could live in American history. This past year, as I traveled through books into the American Revolution, my old longing returned. At my historical journey’s end, I realized that today differs little from then and that my wish came true.

Although living conditions, customs and technology have changed dramatically in America since her birth, much remains the same. Once again Americans are protecting freedom for future generations. Uncertainty clouds the future as it did then. Disagreement over the war still rages. Some say America should not fight. Others, like Patrick Henry, declare, “Gentlemen may cry peace, peace – but there is no peace…. Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?… Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!” Thus, twenty-first century Americans face issues that colonial Americans faced.

On my journey, I discovered that I am living history, not as it was in the American Revolution, but as it is today in 2007. While fearless Paul Revere no longer spies in Boston, valiant Molly Hays no longer carries her pitcher to wounded soldiers, wise George Washington no longer rides Mount Vernon’s grounds, and inspired Betsey Ross no longer pulls her needle, Americans today can imitate the Revolution’s heroes. I can still live as they lived. The Revolution’s true heroes lived to sacrifice themselves for God and country. No thoughts of living in history texts’ pages drove them through the struggles. Those men and women did what they believed was right – what they new Scripture declared right – for their families and their country’s future.

I want to emulate these heroes, and although I may never defend America on the battlefield, I now know that, whatever one’s tools are, part of the battle is doing the right thing for God and country. I want children someday to admire heroes not only from the Revolution but also from this millennium’s first decade. That is my new wish. That is the American Revolution revelation.

Sacrifice and Perseverance

2005-02-28T10:59:00.000-06:00

Sacrifice and Perseverance in the Face of True Danger
by Miss Kelsie Kincell

2007 Essay Contest Winning Essay
Category I, ages 8-12

Men in the colonial era made many sacrifices to secure American liberty. Even when facing dangers, defeat, hardships, and death, they persevered.

One of the best examples of sacrifice is the winter of 1777-1778, commonly known as the hardships of George Washington’s army at Valley Forge. Many men in the camp were without clothing, food, blankets, tents, shoes, and many other necessities. George Washington stated, “For the want of shoes their marches through frost and snow might be traced by the blood from their feet, and they were almost as often without provisions as with them.”

In the midst of difficult circumstances, the army, under General Washington’s command, persevered with much bravery. Even while limbs were being amputated because of frostbite, every man persevered to give this country, the United States of America, liberty. Washington wrote to a congressional delegate, saying, “…It may be said that no history now extant can furnish an instance of an army’s suffering such uncommon hardships as ours has done, and bearing them with the same patience and fortitude. Their submitting without a murmur is a proof of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be paralleled.”

Why should we remember what happened at Valley Forge? Sacrifice and perseverance should be recognized, admired, and sought after. We should be grateful that, in the midst of turmoil and hardship, Washington’s army persevered by the grace of God, and because of their sacrifice we have freedom and liberty in our country.