John Adams wrote about how the United States could remain free but knew it would not be easy. John was a great lover of liberty but knew it could be lost and gone forever, if people didn’t fight for it. John Adams said “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide” John Adams knew that people should not count on freedom being regained if they lost it. John Adams further said “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” He had studied the history of countries that lost their freedoms and knew this to be true. He knew people had to be vigilant in order to protect their nations from tyranny. He believed Education, standing up for freedom and morality were essential to maintaining freedom.
One way John Adams knew that the United States could remain free is through education. John Adams Believed people should be instructed in Freedom in order to protect it from being gone forever. He said “Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.” He also said “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.” By teaching children about the importance of liberty, they would have a better chance at preserving liberty for future generations.
John Adams knew that people had to stand up for freedom. He taught that people should beware of giving up their liberty for security. He said “those who trade liberty for security have neither”. He knew free nations had fallen to promises of security and knew this could destroy any nation. The founders understood that when people found they could vote themselves money from the treasury, their free nations ended.
John Adams was a firm believer in morality and knew that the nation had to be moral in order to survive. He said “Our Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people. It wholly inadequate to the government of any other”. He knew that the more immoral the nation, the more it would seek tyranny as the remedy to their problems.
John Adams understood it would not be easy for freedom to survive and knew that his descendants would have to be on guard in order to protect that freedom. They would need to teach freedom, stand up for liberty and be moral. If people adhere to the principles of John Adams, they may be able to hold onto their liberty but they should understand that once it is lost, it is gone forever.
