June 30, 2026: Special Program Celebrating America’s 250th Independence Day July 4, 2026 –
Speaker: Dr. Elizabeth Lee Vliet, descendant of Thomas Gray who arrived at Jamestown, Virgina in 1608, and a descendant of two signers of The Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, and of Virginians who actually fought in the American Revolution.
Dr. Vliet today continues her ancestors’ fight for religious freedom and our God-given individual liberty, speaking boldly today for the principles her ancestors risked their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to defend in creating this new nation, as one Nation under God.
In this program.
Stratford Hall was one of colonial Virginia’s great plantations and a cradle of American leadership. Richard Henry Lee and his younger brother, Francis Lightfoot Lee both signed the Declaration — the only pair of brothers to do so. Richard Henry Lee was an prominent Virginia political leader, eloquent statesman and tireless advocate for liberty and limited government. He became known as “the Voice of Independence” after he introduced the Lee Resolution in Congress on June 7, 1776. The Lee Resolution was the first formal call for the colonies to declare independence, and he is known for saying “It is not choice then, but necessity that calls for Independence…” He later served as President of the Continental Congress and was an early U.S. Senator from Virginia.
Francis Lightfoot Lee was called “the steadfast Patriot” because he was
the quieter, calm and enlightened brother who worked diligently behind the scenes. Francis signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, one of only 6 Signers of the Declaration of Independence to sign both founding documents. It was later said of him “He did no brilliant things, he made no brilliant speeches; but the enduring strength of his participation was manifest” with his integrity and steady support for the cause of liberty.
The Lee brothers story matters for us living in America celebrating 250 years since the signing of our Declaration of Independence from British tyranny because they showed courage in uncertain times, faith in the face of adversity, brotherly partnership in service to country, and the importance of both bold voices and quiet steadfastness. In our polarized America in 2026, the Lees remind us that unity of purpose across differences built this nation, and their legacy inspires my own work in promoting our founding principles of faith, freedom, health, individual autonomy and right to the fruits of our labors, and the importance of limited government operating on the authority of consent of the governed.
Dr. Vliet then shared the video Paul Revere’s Ride: The Night That Armed a Nation-April 18, 1775 that addresses what really happened on Paul Revere’s ride—and why it still matters to us today. April 18, 1775, the British professional soldiers (“Regulars”) weren’t just marching—they were acting on orders from London to seize all of the colonists’ weapons and ammunition, with the goal of completely disarming all of the colonists, not just the Patriot rebels. What followed changed history forever. In this video, we break down the REAL story behind Paul Revere’s ride, the battles of Lexington and Concord, and how these events directly shaped the Second Amendment. This isn’t just a fun story from history… this is the foundation of our rights to keep and bear arms for self defense.
That night, approximately 700 British Regulars marched from Boston toward Concord with orders to seize military supplies and weapons stockpiled by the Massachusetts militia. The famous midnight ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes warned the countryside: “The Regulars are coming.” The next morning, on April 19, shots were fired at Battles of Lexington and Concord. The American Revolution had begun.
The second video for tonight’s program was an excerpt from the two hour video produced by the collaboration between The White House and PragerU describing the personal story of each of The 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, those courageous men who birthed the Declaration of Independence and bequeathed us our freedom today. The segment for tonight’s seminar focused on lesser known signers, whose rise from nothing to major roles in the colonies fight for freedom and in the government of the new nation. Their stories are inspiring, their words guide us in what we need to do today to preserve our freedom.
The colonists’ grievances in the 1700s leading up to the Revolution in 1775 parallel many of the government intrusions eroding away our own freedom in 2026:
- Taxation without meaningful representation
- Standing armies occupying civilian communities
- Government searches and seizures
- Restrictions on local self-government
- Expansion of executive power
- Attempts to confiscate privately held arms
- Punishment of political dissent
- Increasing dependence upon centralized authority
Many Americans today—particularly those concerned about constitutional liberties—see echoes of some of these issues, although the context is different.
- Growing Tax Burdens
The comparison is not that the systems are identical, but that debates continue over how much taxation is appropriate and how accountable governments are to taxpayers.
- Property Rights
Colonists feared arbitrary government interference with private property.
Today, debates include excessive use of eminent domain to take over private property, Environmental restrictions eroding freedom for property owners to choose how to use their property, Zoning regulations/restrictions, Land-use controls, HOA dictates in communities. All of these are today increasingly used to erode traditional property rights, particularly when carried out without adequate compensation.
- Firearms
One of General Thomas Gage’s objectives in April 1775 was to seize colonial military stores. The attempt to confiscate arms became one of the immediate catalysts for armed resistance. Today we see many erosions of the Second Amendment rights, including Red flag laws, bans on specific types of weapons, Magazine capacity limits, Universal background checks, Firearm registration proposals.
- Surveillance
Colonists opposed: General warrants, Writs of assistance, and Searches without individualized suspicion. Americans today raise concerns about intrusions of individual freedom due to Digital surveillance, Data collection, Cell phone tracking, Financial monitoring, Facial recognition, Artificial intelligence.
- Speech
The Founders placed enormous importance on protecting political dissent.
Today, Americans raise concerns about content moderation by online platforms, government directions to technology companies to censor speech by political opponents, censoring of conservatives on college campuses, suppression of religious (particularly Christian) speech in public, lack of adequate Whistleblower protections.
A Major Difference between 1775 and 2026:
The American colonists in 1775 had no constitutional mechanism for changing the government under which they lived. They had no elected representatives in Parliament, no federal courts to hear constitutional claims, and no regular elections in which they could vote out British leaders.
By contrast, Americans today have constitutional institutions—including elections, legislatures, and courts—through which disputes over taxes, firearms, property rights, and civil liberties are contested. While people may disagree about how well those institutions function, these remain fundamental differences between the two eras.
The generation alive in the era of 1775 believed that liberty required citizens who were informed, morally grounded, and willing to defend constitutional principles—not only in times of crisis, but through continual civic engagement, even when it involved personal sacrifice. Do we today still stand and speak boldly in support of these principles?
Dr. Vliet also gave a warning about where we are today, with the threats to our freedom coming from all directions. Freedom is not FREE – defending freedom bequeathed to us by our ancestors at the high cost of blood and treasure, requires active defense, responsibility, involvement/participation, speaking truth, teaching history, and pushing for accountability from our elected officials across all branches of government. It also requires us to be the watchdogs to insure our institutions stay true to these principles.
As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, the story of each of the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence reminds us that independence is not inevitable — it was forged by families like the Lees and the other Signers who risked everything, including their lives, to take a public stand for Liberty.
She explained that the most critical battles of our time aren’t being fought on the battlefield—but is in fact the psychological/spiritual warfare taking place in the political arena through institutions, NGOs, elections, media, and government shaping programs aimed at changing public opinion to fit a government/globalist narrative, as we saw during COVID. The massively funded and well-organized “color revolutions” used to influence governments abroad are now shaping politics across the West. Especially in the United States today, non-governmental organizations, media networks, political activism, and government institutions have evolved into powerful geopolitical tools.
The Founders who wrote and signed our Declaration of Independence recognized that rights originate from our Creator God, NOT from governments, kings, banks, corporations, or international institutions. Government exists to secure those rights – not destroy them by manufacturing regulated permission slips with control strings and taxes attached. Authority flows upward from free people, not downward from centralized power.
President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to reshape U.S. foreign policy, dismantle longstanding government programs, push election reforms, and challenge the political establishment ahead of the 2026 midterm elections is aimed at restoring the principles under which America was founded as a Constitutional Republic, and one Nation under God.
President Trump’s MAGA political movement represents more than three election cycles. It represents a broader civilizational spiritual and political battle:
1) between centralized global governance and decentralized sovereign republics;
2) between permanent bureaucracy and accountable self-governance;
3) between managed dependence and individual liberty;
4) between debt-based financial architecture and a renewed pursuit of honest money, productive enterprise, national resilience, and constitutional order.
The question for us today is clear: Will our civilization continue concentrating economic, political, informational, and monetary power into fewer institutions – or will we have the courage to continue to push for authority returned to sovereign nations, local communities, strong families, free exercise of our faith, and accountable constitutional government?
Today is June 30. America stands 4 days away from our 250th anniversary. I believe the answer to that question will shape not merely the next election, but the next century and generations to come.
The ancient Biblical warning remains as relevant today as ever:
No man can serve two masters. “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Money is an extraordinary servant when used for good. History shows it is also a terrible master, quickly turned into a god that enslaves.
The greatest civilizations are not built upon the worship of money. They are built upon truth, virtue, liberty, responsibility, honest weights and measures (i.e., honest standards for commerce), free expression of faith, and a foundation of moral law that stands above every government, every bank, and every empire.
When these foundations endure, prosperity follows.
When they are abandoned, history shows that decline and death eventually follow. Freedom must be defended in order to survive.
In God We Trust – Or We Fall.
The Founders did not begin a revolution because of one tax or one military march. They believed a pattern of accumulating governmental power threatened liberties they considered inherent. Whether Americans today see similar patterns or reach different conclusions, the 250th anniversary offers an opportunity to revisit the principles that shaped the nation’s founding: limited government, individual rights, representative government, and the enduring responsibility of citizens to preserve constitutional freedoms through lawful and peaceful means.
As we celebrate 250 years, may we each stand in the gap as my own ancestors did, and as we do today in the mission I have been called by God to carry out — honoring faith and freedom with words, actions, and prayers.
By Elizabeth Lee Vliet MD
