Welcome to the American Story. Stories about what it is that makes America beautiful,

heartbreaking, funny, inspiring, and endlessly interesting. This is Chris Flannering with the

Claremont Institute. I call this one Bullets and ballots, 1776.

This election year and the four years leading up to it have reminded Americans how fragile

and precious an achievement it is to establish the legitimate authority of government

through peaceful and free elections.

I look back from here through the long, rifled barrel of America's authority of government through peaceful and free elections.

I look back from here through the long, rifled barrel of American election years to the beginning.

When we, the representatives of the United States of America, appealing to the supreme judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, and by the authority of the good people of these

colonies, solemnly published and declared that these united colonies are and of right ought to be

free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown,

and that all political connection between them and the state

of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved. And that as free and independent states,

they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent

states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with the firm reliance on the

protection of divine providence, we mutually pledged to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and

our sacred honor.

I look back through the ballots of 2016, 1980, 1968, 1932, above all 1860 and 1800 to the bullets of 1776. Americans would have had no ballots without those bullets. No, we the people, for 250 years and counting, without the shots heard around the world

from 1775 to 1783.

We hold elections in America because, as the Declaration of Independence says,

we think the just powers of government

are derived from the consent of the governed.

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