by KrisAnne Hall, JD

Today marks 250 years since the Shot Heard Round the World. On the morning of April 19, 1775, British troops—acting under orders to disarm the people—marched on Lexington and Concord. But they met resistance. Not from armies, but from fathers, farmers, pastors, and merchants who refused to surrender the one thing they could not live without: Liberty.

The Battle of Lexington was not provoked by a tax dispute. It was provoked by tyranny. The British had already passed a series of laws—the Coercive Acts, the Stamp Act, the Tea Act—each of which was just one symptom of a larger disease: the assumption of unlimited power by a distant government and the erosion of the people’s right to self-govern.

Let us be very clear: the founders were not incited to revolution over pennies. They were incited to action because their fundamental rights as Englishmen were violated. What the colonists faced then is what we are facing now—not excessive taxation, but lawless government power. Not the loss of comfort, but the loss of conscience, self-determination, and truth.

“If Taxes are laid upon us in any shape without our having a legal Representation… are we not reduced from the Character of free Subjects to the miserable State of tributary Slaves?”
— Samuel Adams, May 15, 1764

But Adams didn’t stop there. He made plain what was truly at stake—not money, but the eternal, unalienable rights of every person:

“Among the natural rights of the Colonists are these: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to support and defend them in the best manner they can. These are evident branches of, rather than deductions from, the duty of self-preservation, commonly called the first law of nature.”
— Samuel Adams, Nov. 20, 1772

Was it the money that caused our founders to demand independence? No. It was the erosion of Liberty. The violation of sound principles of government. One quick look at the Declaration of Independence will tell the tale:

“When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another… a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
— Declaration of Independence

It was not about tax—it was about tyranny. It was the King consolidating all power, coercing Parliament, eliminating representative government, and ruling by fiat. It was the breakdown of the balance of powers. And when one man governs all, Liberty dies.

How does that compare to the government we see today?

Just as King George trampled the people’s rights through legislative manipulation and executive domination, America now has a Congress that is unwilling to fulfill its solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution. They invent crisis after crisis to deceive the people into believing that more government power and limitless spending are necessary.

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”
— William Pitt the Younger, 1783

Our Congress shirks responsibility, evades accountability, and expands its own reach while failing to act with “manly firmness” as the Declaration demanded. The result? A Congress that has become the very tyrant our forefathers warned about—and a people slipping into the psyche of servitude.

“He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant… for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.”
“He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.”
“He has suspended our own Legislatures, and declared themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.”
— Declaration of Independence

America now has a Congress refusing to protect the people. One of the few legitimate powers delegated to the federal government is to provide for the common defense—yet they refuse to secure the border or address foreign and domestic threats. Instead, they use those threats as justification to limit our Liberty.

“He has refused for a long time… to cause others to be elected… the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.”
— Declaration of Independence

Time and again, hearings expose irrefutable evidence of lawlessness among government agents, yet nothing is done. No one is held accountable. The rule of law is replaced with the rule of political convenience.

“He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.”
— Declaration of Independence

Just as the King sent “swarms of officers” to harass the colonists, our federal government still operate with multiple regulatory agencies and task forces, who issue binding rules without legislative authority or accountability.

“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”
— Declaration of Independence

From the EPA ignoring due process to the prosecution of Americans under foreign regulatory laws—as in the case of Abner Schoenwetter—the parallels are undeniable.

“He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution… giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation.”
— Declaration of Independence

Trial by jury is increasingly denied or diluted through laws like the Patriot Act, NDAA, and Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. Due process is sacrificed on the altar of national security theater.

“For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury… For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences.”
— Declaration of Independence

And the rise of militarized federal agencies—immune from accountability and independent of civil control—would horrify our founders.

“He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.”
— Declaration of Independence

The truth is clear: our federal government has strayed far from its constitutional moorings. The very abuses that compelled our founders to separate from Britain are once again embedded in American governance. Our founders did not wait for the abuse to become total—neither should we.

“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”
— Declaration of Independence

A Call to Action

There is a growing number of Americans who feel we have been ignored too long. Tired of being silent while the liberties of our children are sacrificed at the altar of political pragmatism. But the courage to overcome that silence is growing. And when the need for true liberty and real self-governance overrides the desire for comfort, the people will recover their God-given rights from the clutches of a legislative body focused only upon power, personal wealth, and control. Then we will not quit until the task is complete. We will be resolved to give our last breath in the defense of Liberty.

It is time, America, to put Liberty FIRST.
It is time, America, to reclaim what truly makes America Great and what our founders sacrificed all to give to us.

“If ye love wealth better than liberty… may your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
— Samuel Adams

Do we want Liberty or do we want slavery? The choice is just that simple—because it has never been about the money. It has always been about the principle. About the truth. About the right of every person to be free.

Learn the Truth. Share the Truth. Live the Truth.

If this message stirs your heart, don’t let it end here. Share this truth with your family, your friends, and your community. Teach your children the real history—not the edited textbooks, but the truth that Liberty is a gift from God and a responsibility of the people. Visit LibertyFirstSociety.com to dive deeper into these truths, take our constitutional training courses, and equip yourself to stand boldly in defense of Liberty—just as our founders did 250 years ago.

Let the echo of that first shot in Lexington be heard in our generation—not through violence, but through knowledge, courage, and unwavering dedication to the cause of Liberty.