"The Natural State of Man is Liberty"
This profound truth forms the heart of John Quincy Adams' argument before the Supreme Court in the case of 44 Africans held prisoner and bound for slavery on the ship La Amistad. This was a real case, and is the subject of Steven Spielberg's profound and inspiring 1997 movie. If you have not watched this movie because of its R rating, this July 4th is the time to watch it. It is rated R because slaves are not always allowed clothes, and are sometimes beaten. But as one of the Africans himself says of the story of the Jews captivity in the Bible "their people had more troubles than we do." In his argument before the Supreme Court, Adams spoke a good deal longer than he does in the film. But the film accurately captures his message. America's Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4th, 224 years ago, rests on the proposition that God made man free, and man may rightly disobey or fight against - with deadly force if necessary - those who would take this freedom from him. Adams could make this argument - and win - before Supreme Court justices who were themselves slave owners because most Americans in the 1830s still recognized God's authority. Recent weeks have shown that not only our Supreme Court, but also our citizens, are slipping farther away from God. The question then is, what have you done to bring others to faith? This is your duty, if you would preserve freedom.	Buy Amistad in VHS or DVD securely online at amazon.com
John Quincy Adams' July 4, 1837 Speech Why is it that, next to the birthday of the Savior of the World, your most joyous and most venerated festival returns on this day? Is it not that, in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? That it forms a leading event in the Progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity and gave to the world the first irrevocable pledge of the fulfillment of the prophecies announced directly from Heaven at the birth of the Savior and predicted by the greatest of the Hebrew prophets 600 years before. Quoted in William Federer's America's God and Country.	John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) lived long enough to have his photo made! A new, low cost edition of AGC is now available at amazon.com.