As part of Breitbart’s America 250 coverage, we proudly present American Tributes. This special section showcases original videos sent to us from members of Congress, the Cabinet, and the Administration… all thematically connected by one simple premise: love of country.
In Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) video contribution to Breitbart News’s American Tributes project, he argued the great United States of America did not just happen by accident, but by careful framing and planning of those who came before us.
“America is the greatest country on earth — not by accident, not by fate, but by design,” Lee began. “It started with a group of patriots, outnumbered and outgunned, who believed that men are endowed with inalienable rights, which no government has the authority to deny.”
Those men, the founding fathers of America, “risked everything” to provide people the opportunity to freely govern themselves instead of being trapped beneath the British crown’s boot, he said.
“The colonial Americans who fled religious persecution in England, carved communities out of the wilderness, fought off the Royal forces, and authored documents like the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights “staked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor on an idea most of the world thought would fail, but it didn’t,” Lee continued.
“We pushed west across a rugged and unforgiving continent,” the senator said, referring to the country’s expansion from the original 13 colonies to the 50 states and additional territories it has today. “We built towns, then cities, then a country like the world had never seen, rail by rail, mile by mile, with grit, with determination, with faith in what tomorrow could be.”
When Americans “fell short” of those ideals, Lee said “we confronted it,” offering the deadliest war in U.S. history as an example: “We fought a Civil War to reconcile our practices with our principles. A nation once divided against itself endured and moved closer to the truth set out at its founding.”
Lee went on to praise American peacekeeping and dominance overseas as well.
“When tyranny rose abroad, Americans crossed oceans to confront it twice and we didn’t stop there,” the Utah Republican told Breitbart News. “We reached the moon, we built the modern world. Our technology, our culture, and our industry set the pace for the rest of the globe.”
He continued, “Skyscrapers that touch the heavens, roads that span a continent, innovations that changed how people live. This is a nation where free people can do extraordinary things. This blessed land, these sacred rights, this flame of liberty, are the birthright of Americans.”
Seemingly referring to mass migration and cultural rot manufactured by bad actors in the Democrat Party, Lee said, “We will not allow this legacy to be taken over by invaders or surrendered by politicians — only tended, strengthened, and perfected for the next generation of our countrymen.”
“In this 250th year of our independence, may God bless America and her people, now and forever,” Lee concluded.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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