America’s Next Crossroad
A Determined Choice
America, in the year 2023, stands at a crossroad. But certainly anyone who has studied the history of America knows this is by no means its first crossroad. In fact, one of the classic earmarks that makes America unique in the history of nations is the clear-cut nature of these crossroads: 1492, 1620, 1776, 1865, 1918, 1945, all mark critical turning points in American history, at which time the nation went decisively in one direction instead of another. Instead of succumbing to the rule of the tyrant, Americans chose the rule of law; instead of knuckling under the way of tyranny, we chose the way of liberty; and instead of extending the hand of intolerance, we chose the hand of tolerance.
By these three hallmarks, then, America would abide by a determined choice, even while those who opposed such values would continue to vie for the hearts of men, women, and children everywhere. So, while these three—law, liberty, and tolerance—had once been the mark of only individuals, but never of whole nations, America would be the first in the history of nations to be founded entirely on such ideals, those born of “the better angels of our nature,” to which Abraham Lincoln once alluded.
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To watch author and historian W. Kent Smith discuss the contents of his book On Earth as It is On Heaven, at the Sacred Word Revealed Conference ’23, hosted by Zen Garcia, CLICK BELOW.
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More importantly, while each of these turning points marked events that impacted America itself, they would also impact the entire world around it. As such, 1492 marked not only the Spanish discovery of the American continent, but it also opened a doorway through which so many other Western nations would flow. 1620 marked not only the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, but it also opened a doorway through which many others seeking religious freedom would follow. 1776 marked not only the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which ratified American liberty, but it also opened a doorway through which many other nations would model their own futures. 1865 marked not only the end of the American Civil War, but it also opened a doorway through which we would enter the next phase of the Emancipation Proclamation, both here and abroad. And 1918 and 1945 marked not only the end of the First and Second World Wars, respectively, but they also opened doorways through which the hallmarks of American society—namely, law, liberty, and tolerance—would create an irresistible tidal wave unlike the world had ever experienced to date.
