By: Phil Williams
What kind of America do we want? An America that will just go along to get along? Standing for everything, and therefore standing for nothing?
I believe the soul of our nation is at a hinge point — a fork in the proverbial road. A cultural fight for the very liberties, ideals, mores, traditions, and values that have made the United States of America the grandest experiment in self-governance known to man.
So, what kind of America do we want?
The battle for our society is good versus evil, left versus right. It is freedom versus slavery in the spiritual and moral sense. But as my sweet wife is prone to say, “There’s more of us than there are of them.” True that.
But leaders must speak to the moment. Action must resonate with the masses. Sometimes an everyman rises up. Other times it is the leader who speaks over the fears of his people to provide reassurance and inspire confidence.
When those words and actions are timely and well placed, they can be contagious, turning a moment of depression into a movement of inspiration.
Freedom is contagious.
Andrew Jackson, who rose from rags to riches, rallied a beleaguered group of Tennessee militia to fight the British in the War of 1812. Loved by his men, he exhorted them: “Who are we? And for what are we going to fight? Are we the titled slaves of George the Third?…No, we are the free-born sons of America; the citizens of the only republic now existing in the world; and the only people on earth who possess rights, liberties, and property which they dare call their own.”
Jackson’s words and actions galvanized the nation and propelled him to the presidency.
Freedom is so contagious.
But the common man has struck the freedom nerve just as often. That could never be truer than the story of Samuel Whittemore.
Whittemore’s story makes my 60-year-old self stand up a little straighter — my crickety neck and old muscles feel like they could still do more than I already push them to do. There is an old axiom: “Beware the old man in a profession where men die young.” Samuel Whittemore is the oldest known colonial fighter of the American Revolutionary War. Born in 1695 (‘96 by some accounts), and if you’re quick with math, you’re already figuring out he was in his twilight years by the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. He was also a fighter, having served the colonies in multiple conflicts, including the French and Indian War.
On April 19, 1775, at 78 years old, Whittemore saw British troops returning to Boston from the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Whittemore took up a position behind a stone wall with a musket, two black powder dueling pistols, and a sword he had captured fighting the French in 1745. Accounts of the day
say that Whittemore gave an animated exhortation to the collected militia, to the exercise of bravery and courage saying “If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country’s foes I shall die in peace!”
Confronting the British soldiers, old Whittemore killed one with his musket, drew his pistols and killed two more. He was danger close, with no time to reload, so Samuel Whittemore, at 78 years old, drew his sword and attacked the British troops. He was shot in the face, bayoneted several times, and left for dead.
Colonials found Whittemore bloodied but alive, still trying to load his musket to go back for more. His wounds so severe he was not expected to survive.
But Samuel Whittemore, the aged patriot, was as hard as woodpecker lips. At a time when the average life expectancy for men in the American colonies was just 38 years old, the ancient warrior survived his wounds and lived to the ripe old age of 96! The New London Journal reported on his death in 1793, saying, “He survived to see the complete overthrow of his enemies, and his country enjoy all the blessings of peace and independence.”
One man. Common, but uncommon. Freedom is contagious, and Whittemore had caught the fever. In 2005, Samuel Whittemore was declared the “Official Hero of the State of Massachusetts.”
The physical fight Samuel Whittemore gave to see our nation become free and prosperous is still ongoing. It may not always be a physical fight, but it is still a fight nonetheless, requiring Americans to step into the fray.
Pastor and author Dutch Sheets was very candid in a recent post, saying, “…we are in a ‘winner take all’ spiritual war for the soul of America. The Left certainly knows this and has pulled out all the stops. They no longer even attempt to masquerade their attempts at taking over. Winning by persuasion and numbers is no longer their plan; they intend to take over by force, laws, and intimidation,” Sheets said. “In their demented minds, parents no longer have the right to control the education of their children, and kindergartners are supposed to be indoctrinated regarding sexual preferences. The fruit of allowing humanistic ideals to control our nation is now in complete manifestation: truth no longer matters, and lying to advance their agenda is perfectly acceptable. The average American, even those who do not profess to be Christians, shakes her or his head in wonder asking, ‘How did we get to this insane point?’”
We have to speak into our moments with words of encouragement, motivation, and resistance being more necessary than ever. We must stand and rally others to stand with us. The right words said at the right time by the right person generate the right results. Words matter. Actions speak. Freedom is contagious.
This is a fight worth having, and we are in this fight together…and yes, there are more of us than there are of them.
By: Phil Williams
April 18, 2025
