Undoctrination.org

To say that news did not travel fast in Colonial America would be an understatement. In 1766, the journey between New York and Philadelphia took three days. Mail delivery was tenuous at best, and most remote settlements were lucky to see a post rider once a month. Even if newspapers were delivered and contained valuable information, far more American’s were illiterate than not, unable to read even the minute amount of news available to them. Despite these difficulties, the people of early America were by all accounts, more educated and aware of their rights and the roll of their government than we are today. How did this happen? How did an illiterate populace, lacking any formal means of communication, foment a revolution, and then guard their hard-won rights with unrivaled tenacity?

One word: Taverns.

Those Colonial American’s gathered in Taverns and passed news, ideas, and revolutionary talk from town to town. The Tavern was most often the center of activity in those frontier towns, serving as a lifeline to the outside world. It was in these taverns that America itself was born and raised.

The original Tea Partier’s, The Sons of Liberty, sprang up as men met over tankards of ale to discuss their displeasure with the Crown and it’s liberty-killing policies. The movement spread like brushfire, and soon nearly every colony had chapters of The Sons of Liberty.

After America won her battle for independence, these same men continued to meet to discuss the fledgling government under the Articles of Confederation, and later the Constitution. They were fearful of losing what they saw as their God-given liberty, and instinctively knew that apathy towards the new, loosely formed government would lead them right back down the path to servitude. They understood that a knowledgeable populace was the key to keeping the government in check.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1778: “Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves.”

How right he was. Sometime in the late 1800′s, as the pace of life quickened in America, people began to lose touch with the most important element of liberty – each other. Life was getting more complicated, communities were not as tight-knit as they once were. People began keeping more to themselves, and the Tavern as a hub of liberty began to fade away. Ironically, Communication became easier – the telegraph, improved postal service, and newspapers came into their own as true harbingers of news from far away places. Yet, for all the increased ease in communicating with each other, American’s actually stopped talking to each other – at least about the truly important things. Since most American’s could now get their “news” from someone other than their neighbor or the stranger passing through on the stagecoach, there was no need to discuss the happenings in Washington any longer. Slowly, apathy began to set in…and the wolves in government immediately set about taking advantage of our distractions. Our Liberties began to wash away, like sand on a beach, slowly being engulfed by the encroaching waves.

Over the last hundred years, a curious thing happened. People actually became reticent to talk to friends and family about politics. How often have you heard someone say “Never talk politics or religion”? Or “I’m not going to change your mind, and you aren’t going to change mine, so what’s the point?” Amazing, when you think about it. If it weren’t for those men who gathered in taverns specifically to talk politics, to argue, discuss and share their ideas – we might not even have a country today. Yet somehow it became taboo, impolite, and crass to talk politics. The very bedrock of our liberty began to erode, ignorance overtaking knowledge, day by day. Make no mistake, the governing class loved it, and has endeavored to keep it that way for generations.

An incredible thing is happening today – much to the consternation of the politicians. The Tavern of old has been replaced with a new meeting place – a place where American’s can gather to discuss politics, to spread ideas, to combat indoctrination, and to hold our elected officials accountable to We the People. This new hotbed of liberty is the Internet, it’s most popular and effective taverns being Facebook and Twitter.

The explosion of social networking, bloggers, and independent media has given us a forum so forceful, so valuable, that it’s scaring the pants off Donkeys and Elephants alike. In a flash, we are able to connect and converse with American’s from all corners of the nation. We are quickly learning that political discussions are not about changing each others minds, but about discovering the truth, and cultivating the ideals we hold in common. We are no longer content to swallow the news as interpreted by a few left-leaning journalists, nor can they hide stories from us as they once could. They can no longer define our beliefs or rewrite our history. We are taking back the power.

New American patriots are gathering around their laptops, once again sowing the seeds of revolution.

The Sons of Liberty would be proud.

“A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” – James Madison, 1822