J
oin LPQC for a lively discussion led by Dr. Philip Schoenberg on the first four US Presidents on February 14 at noon, at our Astoria location, Stamatis Greek and Mediterranean Restaurant at 29-09 23rd Avenue (in the back area, menu details at stamatisrestaurant.net), titled “Four Founding Presidents Who Advanced Liberty.” This address will follow its monthly business session, covering Queens LP planning and subcommittee updates. Details and Directions
Schoenberg describes the talk this way: “America has many Founding Fathers. Many advocated Liberty while owning slaves. Today. We will discuss four Founding Fathers, imperfect as they were, who advanced the cause of liberty. They created a new, the United States of America, based upon the concept. These Founding Fathers had aspirations that the USA would become a shining city on a hill as a shining example of liberty as we Americans all strive to perfect their vision for all.
John Adams, the organizer of the American Revolution, was the Energizer Bunny of liberty who put the right people in charge.
In 1775, John Adams put George Washington in command of the Continental Army. George established the principle of civilian supremacy of the military and gave up supreme power once he accomplished his mandate.
In 1776, Adams drafted Thomas Jefferson to craft our Declaration of Independence that contains the best sentence on liberty that expressed the aim and the ideal of the American Revolution: “We hold these truths to be self -evident that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
James Madison was also an Energizer Bunny who was instrumental in the creation of a new framework of government, the US Constitution, and an addendum to preserve and protect our rights, the Bill of Rights, that established the first government to be based upon liberty and democratic choice in a world full of despotic monarchies.
In conclusion, the Founding Fathers were imperfect. But in the course of the revolutionary struggle for liberty of the individual and the nation, their road to liberty may not have been straight-forward as we may have wished but they set us in the right direction. They inspired America to become a better country for all, a nation of liberty, that continues to inspire us all and the world.”