by Laura (Maness) BrownIndependence Day 2010 celebrates another year of freedom and liberty that we Americans often take for granted. Our ancestors and patriots stood and still stand steadfast to their beliefs and many have fought and died for the democracy and freedom we know today in the United States. On July 4, 1776 America declared her independence from Great Britain.
Here are a few Independence Day quotes by people most everyone is familiar with in history, and on Independence Day 2010, "O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 1961
This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. Elmer Davis
Every citizen should be a soldier. This was the case with the Greeks and Romans, and must be that of every free state. Thomas Jefferson
It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it. Benjamin Franklin
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. Nathan Hale (considered by many to be America's first spy) - Just before being hanged by the British following the Battle of Long Island
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. John F. Kennedy
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. Theodore Roosevelt
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it. Mark Twain
Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be. John Wayne
If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately. Thomas Paine
The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending against all hazards: And it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. Samuel Adams
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I think patriotism is like charity -- it begins at home. Henry James
The highest patriotism is not a blind acceptance of official policy, but a love of one's country deep enough to call her to a higher plain. George McGovern
