Dictionary for the Declaration of Independence:

Abdicated: renounced; relinquished without a formal resignation; abandoned

Abolish: to make void; to annul; to end

Acquiesce: usually implying previous opposition, uneasiness, or dislike, but ultimate compliance, or submission; to give in

Annihilation: the act of reducing to nothing or non-existence

Appropriations: to set apart with a specific use of land, money, etc.

Assent: to concede or agree

Charter: a document giving powers, rights and privileges, either from a king or other sovereign power.

Colony: a body of people who leave their native country to a new land to develop and inhabit it remaining subject to their native country

Conjure: to call or summon in solemn manner

Consanguinity: family relation by blood; descendents from the same ancestor

Convulsion: any violent and irregular motion; tumult; commotion; as political convulsions

Depository: a place where anything is kept for safe keeping

Disavow: to deny to be true; to reject

Despotism: absolute power; authority unlimited and uncontrolled by men, Constitution or laws, and depending alone on the will of the prince

District: territory within given lines; a portion of territory

Endeavored: attempted; tried to; to have put effort into

Endowed: to be furnished with any gift, quality or faculty; to supply with

Evinces: to show in a clear manner; to prove beyond reasonable doubt

Executioners: one who executes; one who carries into effect a judgment of death; one who inflicts a capital punishment

Formidable: exciting fear or apprehension

Foundation: the basis on which anything stands, and by which it is supported. A free Government has its foundation in the choice and consent of the people to be governed

Harass: to weary; to fatigue to excess; to tire with bodily labor

Impel: to drive or urge forward; to press on

Institute: to establish; to appoint; to form and prescribe; to found; to originate

Liberty: freedom from restraint, applicable to the body, or to the will or mind. The body is at liberty when not confined; the will or mind is at liberty when not checked or controlled. A man enjoys liberty, when no physical force operates to restrain his actions

Magnanimity: greatness of mind; nobility of soul; someone above revenge or petty resentment

Mercenaries: one who is hired; a soldier that is hired into a foreign army, moved by the love of money

Migration: the act of removing from one kingdom or State to another, for the purpose of permanent residence

Mock: imitation; not real

Naturalization: the act of investing an alien with the rights and privileges of a citizen

Perfidy: the act of violating faith; a promise, vow or allegiance; disloyalty

Plundered: robbed; taken from; stripped

Province: a country belonging to a kingdom or State, either by conquest or colonization, more or less dependent on it or subject to it

Prudence: wisdom applied to practice; it implies caution in deliberating; it is sometimes mere caution Pursuit: the act of following with a view to overtake, to reach, accomplish or obtain

Ravaged: wasted; destroyed; to strip of money or goods by open violence

Rectitude: obedience to the rules prescribed for moral conduct; either by divine or human laws

Redress: relief; remedy; deliverance from wrong

Relinquish: to withdraw from; to leave; to quit

Sufferance: pain endured; misery

 
Tenure: a holding; the term or period of holding something

Transient: passing; of short duration, not permanent

Tyranny: is often synonymous with cruelty and oppression. Cruel Government; unresisted and cruel power

Tyrant: ruler or master who uses power to oppress his subjects

Unalienable: that cannot be alienated; that may not be transferred

Unwarrantable: not defensible; illegal; unjust

Usurpation: the act of seizing or occupying and enjoying the property of another, without right

Waging war: to make or to begin war; that is to go forward or advance to attack, as in invasion or aggression

Playing the Game!

This past week I had the pleasure of playing part of the game I created to help people learn about the Constitution of the United States, Declaration of Independence and Founding Fathers. It was a room with great people. We had a ball playing the game, however, at the end, after the meeting was over, a lot of people came up to me and admitted how sad they were because they didn't know the Constitution as well as they should.
Some were a little ashamed that I as a foreigner knew a lot more than they did. And they were born here. Grew up with it...learned it in school.
I was sad and ecstatic. Why? Because people were not happy that they didn't know, they were touched and didn't like it.
The Constitution is hard to read and understand, it gives us many rights...and duties. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most powerful, emotional and loving documents ever writen. The Founding Fathers were men of strong opinion, lovers of Freedom and committed to their cause; to see our Nation free, strong and a people that loved being Americans!
My invitation to you is this; take some time and read through the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. If you have to get the dictionary out, do!
See how much love those men had for you and I, before we were born! They knew we would stand as Americans in this beautiful land, blessed beyond measure. They thought it was important that we be free to enjoy it. How about you, do you think we should be free to enjoy it? I think so!

Great Quotes from Great People!

When the last dutiful & humble petition from Congress received no other Answer than declaring us Rebels, and out of the King’s protection, I from that Moment look’d forward to a Revolution & Independence, as the only means of Salvation; and will risque the last Penny of my Fortune, & the last Drop of my Blood upon the Issue. George Mason, October 2, 1778

We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand. Thomas Paine, February 14, 1776

[The Constitution of the United States] was not, like the fabled Goddess of Wisdom, the offspring of a single brain. It ought to be regarded as the work of many heads and many hands. James Madison, March 10, 1834

The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power. Alexander Hamilton, 1775

The people made the Constitution, and the people can unmake it. It is the creature of their will, and lives only by their will. Chief Justice John Marshall, 1821

The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation. . . . In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free–honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope of earth. President Abraham Lincoln, December 1, 1862

The more men you make free, the more freedom is strengthened, and the . . . greater is the security of the State. Frederick Douglass, abolitionist, statesman, and former slave, November 17, 1864

The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respectable Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions; whom we shall wellcome to a participation of all our rights & previleges. George Washington, Address to Irish Immigrants, draft handwritten by David Humphries, December 2, 1783

It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens, nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed this Union. Susan B. Anthony, 1873, "Is It a Crime for a U.S. Citizen to Vote?" speech delivered following her arrest for voting in the election of 1872

The flames kindled on the Fourth of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them. Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1821

How Does Knowing Your Constitution Affect You?

As Americans, we are not getting involved in what happens to America. The Constitution was created to have checks and balances in the government that would protect us, keep the States of the Union in accord and make this country a strong nation.

Our taxes are not to be excessive, our borders are protected by our military, the people of the nation have power in their own states and when the state needs help in defending borders, natural catastrophes and abiding Constitutional Laws, the Federal Government is to aid in whatever area is necessary. All of these things are in the Constitution.

This country started as people with common ideals and entrepreneurs if you will. People that loved the land, they created businesses and supported each other in their endevors. The country was in debt and creative minds were needed to have success.

We, today can be entrepreneurs and create our own businesses, America is a great place to do that. 

We The People need to take the time to educate ourselves, so we may hire and fire our officials by voting them in and out of office. It is our right and duty to vote. 

Being Americans we have so many rights...we take them for granted. Let us do our duty, learn and educate others, vote and be a participant in our communities, our cities, states and country.

Find Out What the National Debt is today.

Go on this website and you can see what the country owes today. It changes daily, due to the interest. A bit depressing, but a reminder of what we have over our heads and our children's and their children's heads.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
We must get involved, we must stop the spending and start budgeting.
"I sincerely believe... that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale." --Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1816. ME 15:23

Did You Know?

I thought I would share some facts about the statesmen the Founding Fathers were. Some of these facts are well known, but some are not. I will pick three at this time, there is more to come.
Sam Adams: He was a man of a political mind. He would submit articles to the paper under different name to get people thinking about the topic, then he would show up at town meetings and keep the topic alive, give more information and get people involved.
He was not successful as a provider to his family. When he was offered gifts and positions of power to see if he would stop his attacks on the British Government, his reply was; "I trust I have long since made my peace with the King of kings. No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my country. Tell Governor Gage, it is the advice of Samuel Adams to him, no longer to insult the feelings af an exasperated people." (Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, pg. 35)
Sam Adams had a dog that disliked the British uniform as much as his master. He would bite, bark and attack British soldiers. He wore the scars to prove his dislike of them walking pass Sam's property.
Robert Morris: He was the financier of the Revolution. He gave most of his fortune to the cause. When he ran out of money and the wealthy people would not lend it to the colonies because they believed it to be a lost cause, he borrowed from them personally. He went from being the wealthiest man to spending three years in debtors prison. He died a broken down man.
John Hancock: As the President of Congress he signed the Declaration of Independence to be engrossed in parchment (stretched and treated animal skin), his name was the only one on the original document. John was offered several gifts and positions of prestige in exchange for his silence in opposing the British. He never took them and lost property because he would not submit to the British. His stand and strong opposition just endeared him even more with the people of the colonies.
When a letter of recantation was given by the British ( a document giving the signers of the Declaration of Independence the opportunity to remove their names from the Declaration of Independence), John Hancock and Samuel Adams were purposly left out. They were considered dangerous man, they could not be flattered, bribed or deceived.
All the men that signed the Declaration fo Independence were considered outlaws and rebels before the British Crown.
Today we need educate ourselves. These man knew their government, they knew what was right and wrong and they stood for the right. I invite you to be educated, to get involved and to make a difference in this beautiful country we call home. If we all work together, we can make a difference in our communities, our cities, our states and our country.

Socialized Medicine

Well, it sounds very good when we hear that the people that are not insured today because of pre-existing conditions can get insurance. The insurance system is not working right and needs fixing, lets fix it, not replace it!

I am going to share with you what I learned in 2009. My mom got really sick in Brazil and I am the only child, so I hopped on a plane and was there for the month of August to help her out. It was a wake up call to me when I saw what happened at the doctor's office.

My mom had asthma, pneumonia, heart condition among other things of less urgency. All went south when she got a flu shot, she got sick as she left the office for home and went downhill from there. Anyway, she needed help and she needed now. Thankfully she is doing well enough financially and was able to pay for her medical care. In the doctor's office there was a long line for the socialized medicine and no line at all for those paying for their care. She walked up to the counter, waited a very short time and went in to see the doctor. She was prescribed an inhaler to help her with breathing, the inhaler's cost was astronomical, something to the tune of $100.00 dollars a month, yes, you read it right, dollars (R1.63 = $1). Here is the kicker, her breathing reading was at 50 (she was wheezing like crazy and couldn't breathe), at 54, the socialized medicine insurance would kick in and pay for the medicine (not for her, because she opted out), but if you were not at 54, tough luck. Thankfully my mom was able to buy the inhaler and breathe. But how about those that are as sick as she was (she was very sick), but didn't have the money to pay for the inhaler? I asked. The answer was; "they don't get the inhaler."

The other thing I noticed it, when she went in immediately to have her tests done, I watched the line of patients. If they forgot a paper, come back in 2 months. If they didn't fast for the test because they didn't know they needed to, come back in 6 months.
You see, there are things that we are not watching for. Preventive care is great, but when you need help, you need help!
After that trip my eyes were open. Check ups are great, however, because of the check ups for everyone, all of us are going to pay dearly in things that we have no idea.
What happens when grandpa is 75, has a heart condition and needs surgery? Will someone in the insurance office decide if he is eligible for it? Wouldn't you like grandpa to decide what he is going to do?I don't know about you folks, but going to Brazil and seeing first hand what people were going through because of socialized medicine sure woke me up.
As people we have power. We need to exercise it and make sure government does what it is meant to do. It cannot dictate everything for the people. We have a choice, lets exercise it!

Welcome!

This blog was created so I could "talk" to people. I am an American by choice, I was born in Brazil and moved here at the age of 17 during my Senior year in High School. My aunts lived here with their families.

In 1986 I didn't speak English. I learned to speak and write so I could communicate in America, as all immigrants need to. Eventually I graduated High School, found a job and met my husband. We have a family of 4 great kids.

In 2001 I became an American Citizen. Holding a green card allows foreigners to do almost everything, except for holding a Federal job and voting. The Federal job didn't concern me, but the voting part did. I have an opinion and I can make it known as I go to the ballot.

Every American is born with so many priviledges, just for being born in the United States. A lot of people don't realize the freedoms they enjoy, because they always had it. The Constitution of the United States is a beautiful, inspired document. Hard to read, yes, however, it gives us rights and duties as American Citizens. In this blog I am going to be posting things that I found as I studied the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers and begining to really study American History.

I hope you will enjoy this journey with me! I am having a ball as I learn and I am sharing with everyone I can. If we don't understand the Constitution, we can't stand for it.

Come back and check my posts, quotes and thoughts. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Listen to this playlist: Remember We The People