At the beginning of July I wrote down the names of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence that I could think of off the top of my head. My list only had 6 names on it. I realized I needed to learn more about the people who signed the Declaration of Independence.
I saw this book by Douglas MacKinnon and thought it would provide some insightful information about each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I was also drawn in by the subtitle Liberty Lessons.
MacKinnon outlines why he wrote the book in his introduction. He writes about the 4th of July:
“Will the day which represents the act of those 56 men coming together as one to declare our independence from tyranny and our right to exist as a sovereign nation and a free people soon be altered, smeared, or outright cancelled?” Flash ahead approximately 246 years from that historic and sacred time period and the answer seems quite obvious.”
An example of the liberty lessons that MacKinnon writes about come in the chapter about Richard Henry Lee. MacKinnon writes:
“beginning early in 2020 it was the reaction to the pandemic not the pandemic itself that gave birth to instant overreach that robbed so many of their rights, freedoms, and livelihoods. But you may ask how could so many first world countries around the world fall victim to such one sided power hungry group think?”
MacKinnon does a good job of proving an outline of each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He does have several references to movies and comic books such as National Treasure and Batman, which probably were not necessary in this book. I would like to have seen a little bit more information about each of the signers.
Overall I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
The Mount of Forty Springs, Zagros Mountains, Iran Saturday 11:30 PM
By the dim light of torches seven hooded figures made their ascent up the nearly invisible path. Thirty minutes had passed since they began hiking off the established trail. A person who had never traveled this path would not have been able to find it.
These men were not making their first journey. Each had traveled this path as part of a group and individually. Even without the torches each man would find the destination without difficulty. Some things could never be forgotten.
In silence they made their final steps. Amidst the juniper and oak trees stood a single cedar tree. They had arrived at their destination. Concealed amidst the undergrowth was a small cave. Sliding a large bolder away from the back of the cave revealed a secret stairwell.
The men could not be completely at ease yet, but the most physically demanding portion of their journey was over. From this point things would be more psychologically challenging and each man would handle those struggles...
