We have all heard the words:
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be
I know my dad did. He used them to explain the meaning of the Paul Revere sign above an eponymously named factory in East Rome to an inquisitive 7-year-old. We have the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to thank for the immortal words. They appear in his poem written to memorialize April 18, 1775, and “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”
Revere’s ride, along with others who accompanied him, was crucial in the victories, the following day, in the battles of Lexington and Concord, where the shot heard ’round the world began the fight for freedom. In 1894, Massachusetts became the first state to recognize April 19 as Patriots Day.
Saturday, April 19, 2025, is the 250th Anniversary of those battles. As the anniversary arrives, remember what those brave colonists fought to achieve – no taxation without representation (tariffs) and the end of rule by a KING!
In the fight to end tyranny, battles were waged throughout our own colony of New York. In August of 1777, colonists from New York and Massachusetts engaged in the Siege of Fort Stanwix, a twelve-day battle of the American Revolution. The heroic defense of Fort Stanwix was a major factor is the American success at the Battle of Saratoga,
We live in the shadow of Fort Stanwix. Affectionately known as the Fort by locals, let’s not forget what it represents. We should celebrate the courage of those early New Yorkers and echo their declaration NO KINGS in America.
Raise you voices and call for the end of the stripping away of the rights for which thousands have fought and died.
We, the people, are and must remain the protectors and defenders of The Constitution!
R. Kekis
Rome NY
