The Shot Heard Around the World
Editor’s Note: In preparation for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, the Four Rivers Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) President William Sanders is sharing messages of the impact of the war on today’s society.
Next year, our nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. As we look forward to that celebration, I want to consider two questions: how would our life be different if the American Revolution had not happened, and how did our revolution change the world? I say our revolution, because it impacted the world in a way that neither the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution or any other revolution ever has.
First, let's look at what our world would look like if it had never happened. We would be drinking hot tea at 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon, and iced tea wouldn't exist. There would be no teams to cheer in the Superbowl. Our football would be kicked down the field instead of being run. We could never know the beauty and excitement of seeing a bomb thrown down the field and caught. America would not have become the home of Rock and Roll.
Somebody else would be King instead of Elvis. Baseball would not have become our national pastime. We would have never known any of these pleasures. The closest thing to baseball would have been played with a flat bat. No one would have been able to play second base, shortstop, or centerfield. Basketball would never have been invented. Michael Jordan would have been just another name.
When we went to the mechanic, he would tell us to raise the bonnet of our car, instead of the hood. To get to the fourth floor we would take the lift, instead of the elevator.
There are sports, inventions, and foods that are truly American. They would not have come into being if we had continued to be controlled by England for the last 250 years. Lee Greenwood said it this way, 'I am proud to be an American.” Everyone in the world tries to come here either legally or illegally. Those that come here whether they can speak English or not never want to leave. Who would have thought that taking a stand for freedom would be so popular 250 years later?
It has been said that someone asked Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 what kind of government we were going to have. He said, “A Republic if you can keep it.” According to AI, 220 of the last 250 years our nation has been in a conflict or war somewhere in the world. Some of the wars were fought to keep the republic. Other wars were fought to help other nations maintain their freedom or get it back. America is the only nation on the planet that will destroy an enemy, and then help them rebuild.
That shot fired on 19 April 1775 at Concord's North Bridge in Massachusetts is still being heard. There are people all over the world longing for our freedoms, and wanting to come here. Other countries have tried what we did. The French tried it with some success. It bought them some freedoms, and did away with their monarchy, but scores of innocent people lost their heads at the guillotine. Russia tried it in the middle of World War I. It also caused a blood bath. Over a 100 years later, the Russian people are still in despair.
In the last 250 years, we have sent out more missionaries, doctors, teachers, and humanitarian aid to the world than most of the world combined. We have come to the verge of bankruptcy as a nation by not only trying to defend the world, but by sending out worthy aid and worthless aid. The world is truly a better place as a result of our revolution, and continues to be so.
As we look forward to July 2026, you can be proud that you live in the greatest nation on earth. You can be proud that you and your ancestors made it that way, and be thankful for our iced tea.
