John Adams, America’s second President
With great honor and respect, our team at Dawson & Associates pauses today to pay tribute to our nation and to the great leaders who risked their lives and fortunes 237 years ago in Philadelphia in the quest for our freedom from oppression. Though derided at the time as the product of “John Hancock’s money and Sam Adams’ brains,” the American independence movement lit a spark that through successive generations has transformed the vision of liberty into a reality.
Few historians have so adeptly captured the magic of those days in Philadelphia better than David McCullough. In his biography of the second president, John Adams, McCullough illuminates the greatness of so many of our founders in this brief excerpt:
There was no American nation, no army at the start, no sweeping popular support for rebellion, nor much promise of success. No rebelling people had ever broken free from the grip of colonial empire, and those we call patriots were also clearly traitors to the King. And so, as we must never forget, when they pledged “their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor,” it was not in a manner of speaking.
We call them Founding Fathers, in tribute, but tend to see them as distant and a bit unreal, like figures in a costume pageant. Yet very real they were, real as all that stirred their “hearts and minds,” and it has meaning in our time as never before.
Even a cursory review of our team shows the deep dedication that our members hold for this nation through public service. Our team includes leaders in civilian and military ranks, former Members of Congress, and private sector leaders. Though coming from different backgrounds and holding markedly different views, we all appreciate the uniqueness of our form of government and the innate goodness of America’s citizens. And we remain thankful for our founding patriots and all they sacrificed for our freedoms.
Happy birthday, America!
Robert K. Dawson President and Founder