The decision of Gen. Robert E. Lee， when he cameto the parting of the way with the Union， and tookup the cause of the South， was a decision of courage，for he well knew that it might cost him his own life，that it would surely cost the lives of others.
But， the greatest decision of all time， as far asany American citizen is concerned， was reachedin Philadelphia， July 4， 1776， when fifty-six mensigned their names to a document， which they wellknew would bring freedom to all Americans， orleave every one of the fifty-six hanging from agallows！
You have heard of this famous document， but you may not have drawn from it the great lesson inpersonal achievement it so plainly taught.
We all remember the date of this momentous decision， but few of us realize what courage thatdecision required. We remember our history， as itwas taught； we remember dates， and the names ofthe men who fought； we remember Valley Forge，and Yorktown； we remember George Washington，and Lord Cornwallis. But we know little of the realforces back of these names， dates， and places. Weknow still less of that intangible POWER， whichinsured us freedom long before Washington’sarmies reached Yorktown.
We read the history of the Revolution， and falselyimagine that George Washington was the Father ofour Country， that it was he who won our freedom，while the truth is—Washington was only an accessoryafter the fact， because victory for his armies had beeninsured long before Lord Cornwallis surrendered.
This is not intended to rob Washington of any of theglory he so richly merited. Its purpose， rather， is togive greater attention to the astounding POWER thatwas the real cause of his victory.
It is nothing short of tragedy that the writers ofhistory have missed， entirely， even the slightestreference to the irresistible POWER， which gave birthand freedom to the nation destined to set up newstandards of independence for all the peoples of theearth. I say it is a tragedy， because it is the self-samePOWER which must be used by every individual whosurmounts the difficulties of Life， and forces Life topay the price asked.
Let us briefly review the events which gave birthto this POWER. The story begins with an incidentin Boston， March 5， 1770. British soldiers werepatroling the streets， by their presence， openlythreatening the citizens. The colonists resentedarmed men marching in their midst. They began toexpress their resentment openly， hurling stones aswell as epithets， at the marching soldiers， until thecommanding officer gave orders， “Fix bayonets.... Charge！”
The battle was on. It resulted in the death and injuryof many. The incident aroused such resentment thatthe Provincial Assembly， （made up of prominentcolonists）， called a meeting for the purpose of takingdefinite action. Two of the members of that Assemblywere， John Hancock， and Samuel Adams-LONGLIVE THEIR NAMES！ They spoke up courageously，and declared that a move must be made to eject allBritish soldiers from Boston.
Remember this—a DECISION， in the minds of twomen， might properly be called the beginning of thefreedom which we， of the United States now enjoy.
Remember， too， that the DECISION of these two mencalled for FAITH， and COURAGE， because it wasdangerous.
Before the Assembly adjourned， Samuel Adams
was appointed to call on the Governor of the Province， Hutchinson， and demand the withdrawalof the British troops.
The request was granted， the troops were removedfrom Boston， but the incident was not closed. Ithad caused a situation destined to change the entiretrend of civilization. Strange， is it not， how thegreat changes， such as the American Revolution，and the World War， often have their beginningsin circumstances which seem unimportant？ It isinteresting， also， to observe that these importantchanges usually begin in the form of a DEFINITEDECISION in the minds of a relatively small numberof people. Few of us know the history of our countrywell enough to realize that John Hancock， SamuelAdams， and Richard Henry Lee （of the Province ofVirginia） were the real Fathers of our Country.
Richard Henry Lee became an important factor in this story by reason of the fact that he andSamuel Adams communicated frequently （bycorrespondence）， sharing freely their fears and theirhopes concerning the welfare of the people of theirProvinces. From this practice， Adams conceivedthe idea that a mutual exchange of letters betweenthe thirteen Colonies might help to bring about thecoordination of effort so badly needed in connectionwith the solution of their problems. Two years afterthe clash with the soldiers in Boston （March ‘72），Adams presented this idea to the Assembly， in theform of a motion that a Correspondence Committeebe established among the Colonies， with definitelyappointed correspondents in each Colony， “for thepurpose of friendly cooperation for the betterment ofthe Colonies of British America.”
Mark well this incident！ It was the beginning ofthe organization of the far-flung POWER destined togive freedom to you， and to me. The Master Mindhad already been organized. It consisted of Adams，Lee， and Hancock. “I tell you further， that if two ofyou agree upon the earth concerning anything forwhich you ask， it will come to you from My Father，who is in Heaven.”
The Committee of Correspondence was organized.
Observe that this move provided the way for increasing the power of the Master Mind by addingto it men from all the Colonies. Take notice thatthis procedure constituted the first ORGANIZEDPLANNING of the disgruntled Colonists.