Whenever you go through any kind of hardship, one of the first things you question is the definition of freedom and liberty. Going through the pandemic in Arizona was no different. The fallout, which came in the form of death threats and political violence, was terrifying. It was the first time in my life I seriously doubted the freedoms and liberties our Founding Fathers had bestowed upon us. So I came home to New England, where American freedom and liberty was born nearly 250 years ago. Our purpose is to define it not just in the way our Founding Fathers intended, but also in a manner that can be applied today.
I’m not a history buff by any means, but there are times you need to turn to history for guidance. This is one of those times. In this road trip through the northeast US, you are going to dive into the roots of American freedom, liberty, and independence. From the American Revolution to the modern day, put yourself in the shoes of the true heroes to understand why they fought so hard for true freedom, liberty, and independence. Because over the past decade or so, the United States has spectacularly corrupted both their definition and concept.
Not surprisingly, many consider the song for this post to be the musical version of the Statue of Liberty.
Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashin’Bob Dylan
Additionally, Youssou N’Dour has a powerfully moving cover of Chimes of Freedom. Sung in Wolof (the native language of Senegal), French, and English, you can channel both the energy and pain of Senegal’s bitter fight for independence from France in the 1950s. Listen for liberté, which means “freedom” in French.
Boston, Massachusetts
The Birthplace of American Freedom and Independence
The “Live Free or Die” motto has led us to the Freedom Trail in Boston to discover the birthplace of our nation’s independence. But before hitting the trail, we have to visit the site of the single event in American history that defines freedom and independence.
A City Built on Standing Up to Tyranny
Boston was literally built on fighting tyranny and standing up to bullies who overreached their power. In 1773, the British government granted the East India Company a monopoly on the sale of tea that forced the American colonists to pay a hefty tax on the tea. Without any representation or say in the British government, the colonists were furious.
In protest of the unfair taxation without representation, the citizens of Boston defiantly dumped 90,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. By standing up for themselves, the Boston Tea Party kicked off a series of events that would ultimately define American freedom and independence. Less than a year later, the first shots of revolution rang out just up the road at Lexington and Concord.
The Boston Tea Party took place near what is now Independence Wharf. From there, you can see Boston Harbor (top right) and the Boston Tea Party Museum (bottom right).
One of the first stops on the Freedom Trail is the Old South Meeting House. It was so much more than just the gathering place to plan the Boston Tea Party. People came in from all walks of life to tell their stories about the struggle for independence. After the war, it became a beacon for democracy, a place where everyone could express themselves freely. To this day, the Old South Meeting House remains a powerful symbol of free speech and public debate.
The Foundation for American Independence
On what is today the corner of State and Congress Streets behind the Old State House, you will find a placard in the sidewalk marking the site of the Boston Massacre. While it did not directly spark the American Revolution, it ultimately laid the foundation for the United States to become an independent nation.
Tensions between the colonists and the British had been flaring ever since the British began their occupation of Boston in 1768. Coupled with the colonists’ anger over heavy taxes the British goverment was levying on them, everything boiled over on March 5, 1770. Provoked by rowdy colonists, British soldiers open fired into a crowd of three to four hundred colonists, killing five and injuring eight.
The first victim of the Boston Massacre was Crispus Attucks, an African-American sailor who had escaped slavery and had been working on whaling ships in Boston. In addition to being memorialized as the first hero of the American Revolution, Attucks became an important symbol of patriotism and freedom throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
When he became the first martyr for American liberty, Attucks’ legacy garnered the support that ultimately ended slavery in the United States and attained equal rights for African-Americans. In their quest to undo those equal rights, our current leaders are attacking the very foundation and definition of our freedom and independence.
On that night, the foundation for American Independence was laid.
John Adams
One if by Land, Two if by Sea: Paul Revere’s Famous Midnight Ride
The Freedom Trail next leads us into Boston’s North End. Also known as “Little Italy”, the North End is world-famous for its Italian food, culture, and heritage in the modern day. But it’s also where one of the most important events of American independence took place.
Following the Boston Tea Party, the colonists knew the British would crack down on the Massachusetts Bay Colony for standing up to them. They just didn’t know when. At the time, the British Congress met in Concord, a town northwest of Boston.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren summoned Paul Revere to ride to Lexington and Concord. Revere was to deliver the news that the British army was approaching to begin their Seige of Boston. Before setting off, Revere had a friend hang two lit lanterns in the tower of the Old North Church. The two lanterns alerted fellow Sons of Liberty that the British were coming into Boston by sea. Revere then returned to his house in the North End to pick up his boots and overcoat.
Landmarks from Paul Revere’s ride, including his house (far left) and the Old North Church (second from right) still stand in Boston’s North End
One of the Most Important Turning Points in History
Under the cover of darkness, Revere rowed across the Charles River. Slipping past several British warships, he narrowly avoided capture. From the Charlestown side of the river, Revere and two others set off on horseback to Lexington and Concord. Along the way, they alerted every colonial sentry and militia that the British were coming. Revere arrived in Lexington shortly after midnight and delivered the news to Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Later that night, a British patrol intercepted Revere as he attempted to reach Concord. He was quickly released, but the British confiscated his horse.
Because of Revere’s warnings, the Colonial Army was waiting at Lexington and Concord to fight back against the British crackdown. The next day, the Battles of Lexington and Concord marked the start of the revolution. Through determination and defiance, the colonists’ victory at Lexington and Concord became one of the most important turning points in history.
Holding Their Own at the Battle of Bunker Hill
The Freedom Trail follows Revere’s ride across the Charles. After a stop at the Boston Naval Shipyard to honor the city’s rich naval history, the Freedom Trail ends at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
On June 13, 1775, the Colonial Army learned that the British were planning a tactical maneuver to take back control of Boston Harbor. In response, the colonists fortified the Charlestown Peninsula and built a strong redoubt on Breed’s Hill. At dawn on June 17, the British attacked and the Battle of Bunker Hill broke out.
The Colonial Army was able to turn away the first two British advances, inflicting incredibly heavy causalties. However, the third time proved lucky for the British. The colonists ran out of ammunition, allowing the British to capture the redoubt and seize control of the peninsula. Despite the tactical victory for the British, the Colonial Army proved they could hold their own against a vastly superior army. It gave them a reason to believe in themselves. Additionally, the battle sent a strong message to the British government that the colonial revolt could not be easily extinguished.
Turning to Liberty
If you pay close attention as you walk the Freedom Trail, you will notice there is very little mention of liberty. It’s all about freedom and independence. But at the south entrance to the Battle of Bunker Hill site, you will find a plaque that defines how the Colonial Army viewed liberty. One of the last things you’ll see on the Freedom Trail directly states that the Massachusetts Bay Colony directly opposed tyranny and was searching for peaceful conditions under liberty. And that is the perfect segue as we drive 200 miles southwest to discover and define what liberty truly means.
Make the Pilgrimage to Boston to Walk the Freedom Trail
Everyone should make the pilgrimage to Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. That journey is more important now than it ever has been. The American Revolution is a perfect example of how greed and power corrupts and backfires. As you amass that greed and power, you start to overreach more and more. At some point, you will be met with resistance. Walking the streets of Boston today, you can still feel that but of rebellious edge, rooted in immense pride and fierce resilience.
The main lesson from the Freedom Trail is to stand up for the truth, your morals, and doing the right thing. Don’t let anyone intimidate, silence, or bully you into anything less. It takes courage and strength, but you will be rewarded with freedom, liberty, and independence as our Founding Fathers defined it. Our current leaders are making an absolute mockery of everything on that Freedom Trail. And as someone who was born and raised in Massachusetts, that mockery doesn’t just hit home. It hits your very identity, your heart and soul.
The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.
Albert Camus
New York, New York
America’s Beacon of Liberty
While Boston is the birthplace of American freedom and independence, New York City gives us liberty. Sitting off Lower Manhattan, the iconic Statue of Liberty is a powerful symbol of hope, freedom, and possibility in both good times and bad. In 1886, France gifted the United States the Statue of Liberty as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. It was originally built to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the United States. But over the years, it has become a beacon of so much more than that.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Originally penned in the Declaration of Independence, the concept of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness defines the epitome of American life and the American dream. But over the past decade, that definition has become increasingly sullied and corrupted. Indeed, the pandemic laid it all bare. When faced with the slightest inconveniences in name of the common good to keep each other safe and healthy, we became hateful selfish monsters spewing absolutely vile rhetoric. If we agree with it, it’s freedom. If not, it’s tyranny. Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that Americans were seen as friendly and welcoming. That has certainly changed in recent years.
There was nowhere that did a better job of proving that point during the pandemic than Arizona. When I complied with those minor inconveniences in name of the common good, I got violent death threats and guns pointed at my face. The same thing happened when I ignored them. You’d think I’d have to be at an emotionally charged political event for something like that to happen. Nope, that all happened at…drumroll please…the grocery store.
What happened in Arizona took away my liberty way more than it did my freedom and independence. But it also took a lot of hope and possibility from me too. I’ve come to New York to rediscover that hope and possibility, as well as find that sense of liberty again.
New York City Puts the World at Your Fingertips
Stepping out onto the streets of New York really re-instills that sense of hope and possibility. You feel this energy and buzz you can’t find in any other city. Like it or not, crossing paths with people of all different backgrounds from all walks of life, as brief as they may be, makes you realize you can become anything you want in New York. But more importantly, there’s a strong sense of inclusion. No matter what your story is, you just feel like you belong. Interestingly, I got a similar feeling in Kuala Lumpur, when I got to experience Malaysia’s fascinating melting pot for the first time.
After discovering freedom and independence in Boston, New York City is the perfect place to start contemplating happiness, success, and liberty. Think about what you’re most passionate about, those hobbies, activities, and causes that really light a fire under you. Use those to motivate and inspire you to do good in the world. With a blank slate, anything is possible. New York has put the world at your fingertips. Where will it take you next?
Discover New Beginnings at Ellis Island
You’ll find some of the best views of New York City from across the river at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The park offers sweeping views of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, including the Statue of Liberty. Nestled amongst those sweeping, breathtaking views is Ellis Island, the largest immigrant processing facility in the United States from the 1890s to the 1950s. Many immigrants were fleeing horrific hardships back home and seeking stability, peace, and success in the United States.
For decades, Ellis Island was a symbol of hope, new beginnings, a new life, and a blanket of safety for so many people. Interestingly, after Arizona, those have been the exact four things I have been searching for as well. Ellis Island proved to be the culmination of a dream and a journey for so many people. It gave so many people an opportunity to achieve happiness, success, and liberty. We should all be proud of the opportunities we gave to the millions who passed through Ellis Island. May the next steps of your journey of discovery lead you to similar dreams and opportunities.
One Dark Shadow. Mountains of Powerful Symbolism.
As I sat at Liberty State Park contemplating everything I had discovered in New York, a thick cloud moved overhead, darkening the entire park. Sitting much heavier than just a random cloud passing overhead, it lingered for a long time overhead despite the blustery conditions. Being a cold and windy February day, it literally sent chills down my spine.
As the sun came back out, the cloud moved out over New York Harbor, shrouding both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in darkness. Unable to take my eyes off the shadow, it felt like Mother Nature was trying to tell you something, to give you a sign. With the Manhattan skyline glistening in the sunshine in the background, the scene is a powerful metaphor for what’s happening in the US right now. It’s far from my finest work as a photographer, but it has proven to be one of the most meaningful photos I have ever taken.
A Dawning of Inspiration and Courage
While Boston was built on fighting back against tyranny, New York is America’s beacon of liberty. On September 11, 2001, New York City became the epicenter of the worst attack on liberty in modern history. But out of the horror and carnage, New Yorkers showed true resilience. Rising up defiantly, they united not just the country, but also inspired the entire world to stand up for liberty and freedom. However, the ultimate story of courage that day came out of a field in rural Pennsylvania.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania
One of the Most Inspring and Courageous Acts in American History
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four cross-country flights in the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The first two planes struck the twin towers in New York City. The third crashed into the Pentagon. But what happened on the fourth flight will go down as one of the most inspiring stories of bravery, courage, and heroism in history. And it’s a story you cannot fully wrap your head around until you visit the site where it crashed.
An Inspiring Legacy of Bravery, Courage, and Heroism
It’s the absolute unthinkable. 45 minutes into your cross-country flight, you hear a violent commotion at the front of the plane. Minutes later, a terrorist with an apparent bomb strapped to his waist ushers you to the back of the plane and orders you to remain quiet, confirming the plane has been hijacked. You phone home to inform your loved ones and tell them you love them. What they tell you completely stuns you: terrorists have crashed two other planes into the World Trade Center and a third into the Pentagon. You quickly realize that you’re part of this larger plot and are headed for the same fate. What do you do?
In the 29 minutes after Flight 93 was hijacked, the passengers and crew phoned loved ones and the authorities from airfones in the back of the plane. Through those calls, they learned about the other three hijacked planes. It did not take long for them to piece together that they were part of this larger attack. They could have listened to the terrorists’ instructions to stay in the back of the plane and be quiet. Instead, they held a vote and came up with a plan. Much like the colonists in Boston, they decided to fight back against the ultimate evil.
A Selfless Act that Saved Countless Lives
At 9:57 AM (roughly half an hour after the hijacking), the passengers said goodbye to their loved ones for the final time. Then those forty strangers rose as one and stormed the cockpit. Using whatever they could find on board as makeshift weapons, they desperately tried to wrestle back control of the plane. The hijackers rolled the plane violently left and right in an attempt to ward off the attack. When that failed, the hijackers tried rapidly pitching the nose of the plane up and down. Again, the passengers kept fighting.
Realizing they were not going to be able to hit their intended target, the hijackers resorted to Plan B. At 10:03 AM, amidst a desperate ongoing struggle in the cockpit, the hijackers put the aircraft into a nosedive, crashing Flight 93 into an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone on board was killed instantly. While the passengers ultimately failed to take back control of the plane, their heroic actions saved countless lives.
Shortly after the hijacking, the terrorists had entered Washington Reagan National Airport into the plane’s GPS system. Coupled with evidence recovered at the crash site, most people believe the target of Flight 93 was either the US Capitol or the White House. We will never know exactly how many lives the passengers of Flight 93 saved in Washington, DC. However, the sacrifice they made will go down as one of the most inspiring and courageous acts in history.
One of the Most Moving and Well Done Tributes You Will Ever See
The second you drive onto the grounds of the Flight 93 National Memorial, you feel this powerful connection. It’s hard to put into words, but it’s a connection not just to the victims on board, but also to their actions and their legacy. As dark as that day was, the memorial instills a sense of hope, inspiration, and unity.
The walkway into the Visitor’s Center follows the exact path of the plane as it went down. It memorializes the other three hijacked flights as you approach the Visitor’s Center. You can then walk past the Visitor’s Center entrance to a balcony with sweeping views of the field that looks directly down on the crash site. Shown in the photos below, you’re literally looking at the last thing the passengers of Flight 93 saw before they perished.
At the bottom of the hill, you’ll find the Memorial Plaza. A gentle breeze blows through the grove of 40 trees planted in memory of the 33 passengers and 7 crew. Placards tell the incredible story of the final moments of Flight 93. A wall of names and photos permanently etches these heroes into their place in history. Finally, you’ll reach a gate that leads to a path out to a large boulder marking the final resting place of Flight 93. That gate opens once per year for the relatives of the victims. To a site that sits frozen in time, forever cemented in honor and legacy.
The terrorists soon discovered that a random group of Americans is an exceptional group of people. Facing an impossible circumstance, they comforted their loved ones by phone, braced each other for action, and defeated the designs of evil. These Americans were brave, strong, and united in ways that shocked the terrorists – but should not surprise any of us. This is the nation we know. And whenever we need hope and inspiration, we can look to the skies and remember.
George W. Bush
The Flight 93 National Memorial Changes Your Perspective on Life
Before entering the Visitor’s Center, you need to be mentally and emotionally prepared. What’s inside will transport you back to that fateful September day. You’ll see it from the perspective of the passengers on board Flight 93, the first responders, government officials, and more. However, it changes your perspective on life in a profoundly positive way.
Inside the Visitor’s Center, snippets of the breaking news reports of the attacks echo throughout the exhibit. Interspersed among them are clips of George W. Bush’s speeches, which become a source of comfort when you start to get emotionally overwhelmed. But it’s not until you step inside the exhibit that you realize just how powerfully moving it is.
Put Yourself on Flight 93. Quickly Realize How Insignificant Your Day-to-Day Problems Actually Are.
The first part of the tribute to the passengers on Flight 93 will forge an instant and deep connection. You may even feel uncomfortably close to them. As you come around the corner, the first thing you’ll notice is the image on the wall putting you at the back of the plane looking forward. As you get closer, you see the replica seat backs equipped with functioning airfones. The weight of the situation hits you like a train. How would you react to realizing you were on a doomed flight? Which loved ones would you call? What would you tell them? How would you say goodbye?
You keep walking toward the airfones, wanting to turn around, but their pull is too strong. Signs warn you of what you are about to experience. You pick up the airfone and put it to your ear. Listening to the actual calls passengers made to their loved ones is what got me. In the face of the unthinkable, you admire how poised, calm, and determined they remained until the end. They had accepted their fate, but were not about to sit idly by without doing something about it. You could hear it in their voices.
Amidst the replica of the cabin was the keypad of one of the airfones recovered from the crash site. Above it sat the answering machine on which one of the passengers left their final goodbye to their parents. On the other side you’ll find fragments of wire and unrecognizable shards of debris from the plane. It’s an incredibly powerful and moving experience.
A Place for Reflection, Honor, and Inspiration
The entire memorial is a powerful tribute to both the people onboard Flight 93 as well as the first responders on the ground. It’s a reminder that we can put our differences aside and unite. Their legacy instills a sense of hope and optimism that despite all the hate and divisiveness in the world today, we can all leave our own mark of good. It inspires you to leave the world a better place than when you came into it.
If you have the time, listen to the speeches George W. Bush made at both the dedication of the memorial in 2011 and the 20-year anniversary of Flight 93 in 2021. Even if you are unable to visit the Flight 93 memorial, his words tell the story and pay respect to true heroes. Those heroes cemented a powerful legacy over a common field one day, and a field of honor forever.
Life can change in the blink of an eye. So can freedom, liberty, and even democracy. There were 35 minutes between the hijacking of Flight 93 and when it crashed in Pennsylvania. If you were all of a sudden given 35 minutes to live, how would you react? What legacy would you leave behind? How would people remember you? Would you have any regrets or things you wished you had done?
So seize the moment. Go chase those dreams. Check those items off your bucket list. Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. Spread love and do good. You’ll inspire others to do the same, as well as leave your mark for how people will remember you. And in a way, you’ll be honoring and carrying forward the legacy of the heroes of Flight 93.
