About 400 Tennesseans gathered recently in Nashville for AFP–Tennessee’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” event, a celebration of the ideas that built America and a reminder that the responsibility to protect them now belongs to us.
Lara Trump headlined the event, joining AFP’s Katelyn Bledsoe for a conversation about what makes America exceptional.
The program also featured Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — the WWE legend known as Kane — along with country music star Darryl Worley and U.S. Rep. Matt Van Epps, who each spoke about everyday Americans’ responsibility in protecting freedom.
Trump spoke about something she believes the country needs more of: pride in being American and confidence in the ideals that built our nation.
“The thing I want everyone to have is pride, pride in our country. The American spirit must endure.”
She’s right. America is a country worth being proud of. For nearly 250 years, the United States has stood as a remarkable example of liberty, self-government, and opportunity for the world.
Now, it’s our responsibility to carry those principles forward for the next 250 years.
The “One Small Step” initiative is mobilizing Americans across the country to celebrate our nation’s founding and defend the ideas and values our country was founded upon.
Mayor Jacobs talked about his unorthodox path from professional wrestling to politics.
Jacobs grew up in a modest family and built an unlikely career path that reflects the opportunity America makes possible. That path eventually took him to the WWE ring, where he became the legendary wrestler known as Kane.
After leaving wrestling, Jacobs turned to public service because he wanted to protect the freedoms and opportunities that made his own success possible.
“The reason I got into politics is because I want my kids and my grandkids to have opportunity like that. I want them to have liberty.”
This is what makes America unique. Few places in the world offer that kind of opportunity, where someone can build success in one field and then step forward to serve their community.
For country singer Worley, America is unique because only here can people truly live out their dreams, but only if they’re willing to work for it.
“(America) is a place where you can go, work really hard, and accomplish whatever you can dream.”
And it’s now up to us to keep that very same dream alive so future generations can succeed, just like Worley and Jacobs did.
Rep. Van Epps reminded the audience what it takes to keep liberty alive. Generations of Americans have fought to preserve the American Dream, even when it would have been easier to stay on the sidelines.
“The torch didn’t stay lit by accident — it stayed lit by those who chose liberty over ease.”
His message was simple: Liberty endures when citizens take responsibility for it.
Defending liberty has always required ordinary Americans willing to take responsibility for their country. Just as Patrick Henry called Americans to defend liberty more than 250 years ago, we are called today to do our part with civic engagement.
Hundreds of people showed up in Tennessee because they believe freedom requires action.
America’s future depends on citizens who are willing to stand up for the principles that made our country great.
Through AFP’s One Small Step campaign, Americans across the country are recommitting to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary.
If you believe the next generation deserves the same freedom and opportunity we inherited, take one small step for liberty today.
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