America is the greatest beacon of hope for the world!
David Hamilton Discusses Freedom and Why He's a Proud American with Aubrey R. Taylor AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you? DAVID HAMILTON: Freedom means enjoying our God-given, Constitutional rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Texans have always stood for freedom, and fought for our rights when they were threatened by big, centralized governments that ignored the will of the people. JosĂŠ Antonio Navarro was a freedom-loving Texas hero who fought for Mexican independence from Spain, and later fought for Texas independence from Mexico before signing the Texas Declaration of Independence and becoming one of our first Texas state senators. Navarro was the uncle of another freedomloving Texas hero, James Bowie, who died defending one of the greatest symbols of freedom in the Lone Star State: the Alamo. Freedom means never forgetting the sacrifices our ancestors have made for us. That is why Texans will always remember men like Bowie, Travis, Houston, Austin, and Navarro. That is why Texas will always remember the Alamo. AUBREY R. TAYLOR: Why are you proud to be an American? DAVID HAMILTON: I am proud to be an American because
this is the country of Charles Sumner and Hiram Revels. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act expanded slavery into northern states, Senator Sumner gave an impassioned speech on the evils of slavery and condemned the members of Congress who defended it. A pro-slavery congressman nearly beat Sumner to death in what is now known as the caning of Charles Sumner. Fourteen years later, slavery had been abolished and Senator Sumner gave another speech on the Senate floor. This time, he had the honor of swearing in Hiram Revels as the first black United States senator. America is the country where people of all races worked together and conquered slavery. America is the country where our differences do not prevent any of us from reaching for the stars. America is the country of Charles Sumner and Hiram Revels.
Mack McInnis Discusses Freedom and Why He's a Proud American with Aubrey R. Taylor AUBREY R. TAYLOR: What does freedom mean to you? MACK MCINNIS: The Concept of Freedom covers many ideas and rights that should be automatically bequeathed to everyone in the world. Your question asks me to select those Freedoms that are most important to me. An early freedom that arrived to our shores before the Right to Vote, is the Right to a Fair Trial. Over time the Right to a Fair Trial evolved into the rule that, in criminal cases, the burden of proof is on the accuser and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. For me, this is the most basic right. Even the Romans believed that the government should have the burden of proof. Of course, Freedom of Speech and the Right to Vote are essen25