~ Introduction ~

Moments after taking his oath of office as president under our nation‟s new system of government, George Washington declared, “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

I believe, with the state America is in today, that Washington‟s question can be put to rest. The experiment failed, as a nation we have not kept to the principles upon which it was founded and have allowed our elected representatives, and corrupt special interests, twist and distort our system of government from one, designed to safeguard our liberties, to one in which we are treated like a nation of penned cattle or sheep.

Any liberty loving patriot must be curious as to how this happened, how a nation based upon liberty, has changed to one where we are regulated and controlled in nearly every aspect of our lives. I have, in fact I have spent hours writing about it.

Yet what has been undertaken here is much grander and ambitious. When I write I use bits and pieces of speeches as my supporting evidence. This project will take you on a historical journey which begins far before Thomas Jefferson ever put pen to paper and said, “WE hold these Truths to be self-evident…” to the time of the great thinkers whose thoughts and ideas influenced men like Jefferson and Madison. You will read the speeches, letters and and documents, which helped give birth to our nation, and then those which led to the corruption of those principles.

In his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson “It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.”

Jefferson also wrote “Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.”

As with all diseases, this corruption begins slowly, but as the sickness takes hold, the symptoms become obvious and the disease can run rampant. Our republic is now suffering its death throes as we make our way into the future. Only time will tell what remains of that experiment mentioned upon Washington‟s inauguration as president. But whatever remains will not be the republic the Founders envisioned.

If you want to know HOW it happened, read and study all that will be laid before you, for it contains thoughts, comments, speeches, and documents from some of the greatest political and social thinkers in the history of the world. That alone makes it worth its weight in gold.

I am honored to have been asked to write the introduction to this worthy endeavor.

Neal Ross

~ the Author ~
Neal Ross has been a long time contributor to the pages of the Kettle Moraine Ltd. family of web-sites since January of 2009. The above is a slightly edited version of his forward to Volume I of our five-part works on American history, AMERICA: The Grand Illusion. In addition, Ross is an amazing historical student and writer in his own right. His body of work is extensive – yet we both continue to learn – and teach. A portion of Neal’s studies may be found within the pages of the Federal Observer.

In addition, Kettle Moraine Publishing is proud to have published two of Neal’s books. Watch our Book Shelf link for further information soon. There will be much more from Ross to follow… As always, my thanks and deep appreciation for his continued efforts and dedication.

I’ll see you at Sundown Neal

~ Orphans of the Storm (1215 – 1632) ~

Magna Charta (1215)
“The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history… It was written in Magna Carta” ~ Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1941 Inaugural address

Cristoforo Colombo (1493)
Letter of Columbus to Luis De Sant Angel Announcing His Discovery

John Ponet (1556)
Short Treatise on Political Power: Proper Response to Unjust Tyrannical Governments

The Mayflower Compact (1620)
Immigrant Religious Extremist Group Signs Manifesto (November 11,1620)

My America, 1620
Whatever one thinks of the theology of the “sojourners,” their very attempt and survival in 1620 is nothing short of astounding. Imagine landing in a world completely unlike your own and with winter quickly approaching. There is no “escape.”