The Bravery Of The Founding Fathers Needs To Be Discussed More...

Indexed: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]people when people pe people go to war they fight the way they live you know they the American army has always fought differently than other countries uh the Germans in the second world war had a lot of trouble figuring us out because we were amazingly adaptable and that's and turned out to be brave they thought we wouldn't be but that's because the way we live you know a free economy and a free society is a system of competition and cooperation and it's spontaneous, right? And so the Americans, you know, the British have, you know, they they fought these European wars and they're in ranks and they're drilled like crazy.

[00:00:44]By the end of the war, we got pretty good at that, too. But at the beginning there was something that persisted to the end as well. And that is we just figured out how to dart around and fight and not get killed ourselves.

[00:01:00]>> The level of trepidation I think sometimes we act as though well it's sort of they joked about it but there are a number of instances I write about them in my own book where they knew in fact that they might well be signing their death warrants. And we we say it over and over and it becomes meaningless. But we have to think about this was real. They knew that what they were doing was a hugely brave thing. Uh that if they lost these men would lose everything, including potentially their lives. Uh they trembled. Uh and they they they all there's a lot of dark humor in the room among them as they're signing that day on August 2nd.

[00:01:41]>> Yeah. I've forgotten who says it, but one of them says to another, "I have the advantage of you cuz I'm heavy. If they hang us, but when they when they hang us, I'll die fast. It might take you an hour, you skinny thing. It uh you know >> that actually that is in my book.

[00:02:02]>> You're the one who relates that very well, too.

[00:02:04]>> I I don't know. I don't remember who those two people are. It's in it's in my book, but that's real. And I'm very very fussy about when I write something about getting it right, not passing along things that are apocryphal. Uh this is real, that they knew that this was serious. So they had to joke about it.

[00:02:22]So Franklin jokes about it. Uh a number of them uh joke about it. And I forget who it was who was about Franklin's age.

[00:02:30]And he says, "My hand trembles, but my heart does not." Uh as he signed it, he was older. But but he did it. He understood that we have to stand firm.

[00:02:40]It's a sacred thing. You referenced also the the fact that what they were doing was unprecedented. And this is another thing in this modern age uh where everybody thinks that you know all western countries are sort of the same.

[00:02:51]First of all, they're not. Not even close at this point. But there never was a nation where people govern themselves unless you go back to the Israelites at Sinai with no king governing themselves looking directly to God. This was a dramatic thing in human history. And of course, Thomas Payne writes about that.

[00:03:09]He sees this uh as uh epical and of course Adams says this is a new epic. Um but I think we've lost sight of the unprecedentedness of what America is.

[00:03:23]>> Yeah. You get uh the the the film starts at the beginning with the beginning of the steps to the American Revolution. Uh we have an earlier online course out now called colonial America by the way too.

[00:03:38]But um the thing is you know from 17 13 years from 1763 till 1776 that's the pre preamble to the declaration of independence. And what do they do? They work out a bunch of arguments because the king starts doing some things that parliament really does it and they had not been done to them before. They were interfering with colonial governance in ways that they had not done. And so their reaction to that, they have to work that out. And and and it took 13 years of conflict for them to get clarified in their minds.

[00:04:20]why they should do what they did on July the 2nd to the 4th. And that's, you know, in other words, the argu it's a it's a pamphlet war in part. One of our our best sources for it tend to be newspaper articles and pamphlets and letters that they write, but pamphlets especially. And they're arguing with the parliament and the king and they're arguing with one another. and they work out how the principles of the laws of nature and nature's god require that we not be governed except by our consent and that's that that discussion that debate is what produces the resilience in the resol in the revolution later also the film makes a very good point about this these are very rugged people you know the ordinary soldiers uh like uh the the shooting actually opens with, you know, death, of course, but also from our point of view, a glorious kind of episode because the British march their guys out with their uniforms and their their excellent equipment and they march on Lexington and Concord and they go home with their tail between their legs because they'd never fought anybody like us before. And uh >> forgive me for cutting you off. Uh, that's a hard break. We'll be right back with that, the rest of those thoughts.

[00:05:46]Forgive me. I'll be right back.

[00:05:47]>> Welcome back. I'm talking to Dr. Larry Arin, president of Hillsdale. Uh, they have a new documentary out. I've got the privilege of being in it. It's called Revolutionary America in theaters May 31st. And you were just saying, Dr. Orin, about Lexington and Conquered. I was just there at Lexington and at conquered and in Boston retracing um uh the route uh and it is holy ground. It is extraordinary actually to be there to know that history. But uh before uh I cut you off uh in the last segment you were talking about that. Well, people uh the the great Victor Hansen, buddy of mine, uh makes a powerful point that's been made down through history.

[00:06:33]Uh people when people pe people go to war, they fight the way they live. You know, they the American army has always fought differently than other countries.

[00:06:43]Uh the Germans in the Second World War had a lot of trouble figuring us out because we were amazingly adaptable and that's and turned out to be brave.

[00:06:53]they thought we wouldn't be. But that's because the way we live, you know, a free economy and a free society is a system of competition and cooperation and it's spontaneous, right? And so the Americans, you know, the British have, you know, they they fought these European wars and they're in ranks and they're drilled like crazy.

[00:07:18]By the end of the war, we got pretty good at that, too. But at the beginning, there was something that persisted to the end as well. And that is we just figured out how to dart around and fight and not get killed ourselves, hiding behind trees, hiding behind walls. And they and the British were simply exasperated by the first experience of that. And they come home with their tail between their legs. And that's how it ended, too.

[00:07:48]Basically, I was going to say I u I still can't believe I was just there uh you know days ago uh on the bridge in conquered uh and I was able to look up and think that's the hill where the conquered militia were on that hill uh and the British troops were on this side of the bridge and there's a moment to me I write about it of course in my book a an extraordinary moment where the conquered militia come down on that hill toward the British troops and they're in formation. The Americans are in formation.

[00:08:25]And I just think that the British troops were just astonished. It It was like the Americans might as well have been flying on broomsticks. It was so strange to see Americans moving forward toward the British in military formation. And of course, um the British at that point break and run.

[00:08:45]Uh it's it's humiliating and I really think that everything changes on both sides. The Americans are just filled with pride. Uh and the British realize we we're not so sure what we've gotten ourselves into.

[00:08:58]>> Yeah. Yeah. I think the commander at Lexington said before the first the smaller engagement on the way to Concord said uh his his order was do not fire unless fired upon but if they want war let it begin here. And that's where it started and uh and yeah, they stood up to it. Uh the film is is uh narrated by Tom Celich and uh we know him a bit.

[00:09:26]>> Am I in the first 10 minutes? I just want to know.

[00:09:28]>> You are. Um you are.

[00:09:29]>> I know.

[00:09:30]>> You might be the first expert interviewee. You're certainly early.

[00:09:35]>> Uh well, I um I don't want to blow it for people who haven't seen it yet, but I'm riding a minibike uh down a highway.

[00:09:43]It's very cinematic, folks. Uh, it's beautiful. Now, it's just, it really is uh, >> it's wonderful that y'all have made this. And I don't know, are you able to talk about the fact that it's going to be a series that So, the film is just the first Yeah.

[00:09:58]>> Uh, burst of this.

[00:10:00]>> The film will be in theaters, 900 theaters, I think, around the country for 3 days starting May 31st. If you want a two-hour encapsulation of the American Revolution, I just watched it and I I'm responsible for it. Nevertheless, I will say it's the best thing like that I've ever seen.

[00:10:23]>> Well, listen, I'm not at all surprised.

[00:10:25]I know the work you all do at Hillsdale, it is always spectacular. Uh and and folks, um we got a final segment coming up, but I just want to exhort you. Let's make this film a hit. Uh, a film that tells the true story of the birth of the United States of America. Um, it needs to be a hit, folks. Please go into theaters, check it out. We'll be right back.