Fellow countrymen: for years we have been fighting this battle that never seems to end, and some people may think, like the opposing representative, that if we win, and govern ourselves, then this country will be making up new, superfluous laws, and this country would be worse than Britain, and more poorly treated than the slaves. But I can assure you that if we win, we will be better than the “mother” country, because the government, and all of the people of this soon-to-be nation will decide, with all equality, the great laws of these states. If you will obey the Tory here, this nation will truly be a slave, if you look at the ungoodly King George III.
If we surrender, we will be treated, not as equal people, but as slaves, and test subjects by the King and the English Parliament.
The sins of the King on us started by taxing our newspapers and some other goods from Britain. We were all outraged when this happened, some of us making a small war, even. Britain repealed it, but immediately taxed us far more: on our English tea. Showing that we are able to govern ourselves, we decided to pour all of the tea from the tea ships into Boston Harbor, a good move. This time Britain did not repeal it, but forced a new tax, one on all goods from that country. We retaliated by making our own goods, and then came the sign we were not equal in his mind: three acts of badness. The quartering act, government forbidden, and no food by water at all in Boston. These were intolerable times, and we survived through those times, and now, the tide is almost turning in our favor, and some of us, on this day, are ready to give up and lose, so I will tell of the horrid things that will come if we lose and be British:
We will lose our freedom; We will lose this country; We will have heavy taxes thrust upon us on every single thing; We will be slaves, not owning our own bodies; We will live in worn-down houses; And we will starve, and be more taxed, because King George III has an intention to tax us, and once we accept a tax, he will thrust more upon us.
People may think that this is inevitable, because we have a weak army. But we do not have a weak army, for France has weakened Britain and is willing to join with us, and we are constantly getting better. Furthermore, we have very skilled riflemen, who could get a general at 300 paces. We can surely win if we unite; but divided, we fall into slavery.
Today you will choose , fellow countrymen. Will you be a patriot, and make this wonderful country even better, or be a Tory, lose the war and freedom, and never rise again? For once freedom is lost, it can never be regained again.