Point of View May 12, 2026 – Hour 2 : The Revolutionary Words that Forged America

[00:00:04] Across America, Live, this is Point of View, Kerby Anderson. This hour we're going to spend some time talking about the Declaration of Independence. I'll hold up for those of you watching online the latest booklet that we had that came out on April, a biblical view on the Declaration.

[00:00:32] And we begin with, of course, this famous statement by G.K. Chesterton, America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed. And that creed is set forth with dogmatic and even theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence. We're going to spend some time talking about the Declaration in some detail. I'll hold up this book, The Revolutionary Words that Forged America, The Definitive Guide to the Declaration of Independence.

[00:00:59] As I hold it up for those of you watching online, you can see it's a rather thick book. Yeah, 450 pages. So will we cover all the pages? No, but we will certainly do our best to dip into some of the things that you would need to know if you really wanted to spend some time studying the Declaration of Independence. It is written by Judge Michael Warren. He has served as the Oklahoma County Circuit Court in Michigan since 2002.

[00:01:25] He's taught constitutional law, former member of the Michigan State Board. A number of years ago actually started the nonpartisan nonprofit Patriot Week. There's a link to Patriot Week dot org. We'll talk more about that in just a minute. He also writes and co-hosts the Patriot Lessons American History and Civics podcast and his previous book that we might mention America's Survival Guide.

[00:01:52] How to Stop America's Impending Suicide by Reclaiming Our First Principles in History. You notice that we talked about that with our conversation about the book by Gat Satt about suicidal empathy. Also a little bit in our piece that we had last hour on the West is good. The need for us to recognize that we might be having the suicide of the West if we do not change some of this.

[00:02:20] So this is an opportunity to learn a little bit more about the Declaration. So Judge Michael Warren, thank you for being with us today here on Point of View. Thank you Kirby so much for this opportunity. I'm really looking forward to it. This book is an encyclopedia. In our booklet here we did offer some other booklets that have come out and books that have come out in the past. But when we update this, I'll put your book in there for sure.

[00:02:46] Because I think it's helpful to maybe talk about how this is put together. Because in some respects there is this section that many people know which relates to the kind of the philosophy and the reasons or the justification for separating from England. But then near the about middle part of the book you then go into the more than two dozen different abuses that were listed at the time.

[00:03:15] Which by the way, I think all but four of them were in state constitutions. Including one I noticed that you crossed out which was about King George has waged cruel war against human nature dealing with the issue of slavery. So in some respects, let's talk about the overview for just a minute. Because Thomas Jefferson was saying that I didn't come up with anything new. I was pulling some of the ideas that were resident at the time.

[00:03:42] But between him and the committee, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman, we have today this declaration. But can you give us an overview for just a minute, not only for the declaration but your book? Absolutely. Thank you for the opportunity. As you mentioned, we hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal. That they're endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[00:04:12] And that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That when any form of government becomes destructive at these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, to establish new government, laying its foundation in such principles and organizing its power in such forms as them so seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Those words from the Declaration of Independence were revolutionary in 1776 and they remain revolutionary today.

[00:04:39] And it defines our founding first principles of the rule of law, unalienable rights, limited government, social compact, equality, and the right to alter or abolish an oppressive government. That's what makes America, America. It's not as fun as it might be watching Taylor Swift and her boyfriend or the basketball playoffs right now or any of that kind of stuff. It's those founding first principles. That's what makes America, America.

[00:05:09] And we have, as you've mentioned, we've been losing an understanding of that. We have become very complacent in connection with the blessings of liberty that we have. And actually, we are now people that are vigorously attacking our founding first principles and our history.

[00:05:30] And so what the book does is it tries to return, you know, center focus on everyone across the country on our fundamental founding charter. And it's a line-by-line review and, in many cases, a word-by-word review of the declaration. And as you mentioned, it includes the 28 grievances. I welcome jury pools all the time. I give them orientations.

[00:05:57] You know, when I'm selecting juries, I've had over 400 jury trials. And I usually begin with the declaration and I'll ask, you know, why do we declare independence? And I'll get one hand and they'll say something like, they'll mumble taxation. They don't say taxation without representation, just say taxation. And then you might get quartering the troops. And then you'll get an odd answer here or there that's wrong.

[00:06:24] And I point out, no, no, no, there's 28 reasons why we declared independence. One of them was the question of the right to the jury, and that's how I hooked the jury into going why they should want to serve on the jury. But, you know, we are fools to think that if we don't understand the foundations of our freedom and our equality, that we're going to be able to preserve it.

[00:06:48] And, you know, one of the things that I know your show is very focused on is the Creator and how our rights come from God, not from man, not from government. But we are born with inherent rights, which are unalienable. Unalienable means, you know, alienability is a little-fashioned term for being able to sell or transfer.

[00:07:12] Unalienability, some people say inalienability, that means that you can't transfer or sell those rights. They're born in you as a child of God, and they can't be taken from you by any worldly power. And if people could just remember that, I think our country would be much better off. But the idea is to get folks to understand our common heritage, our common first principles,

[00:07:39] and then we can hopefully unify in this divisive and toxic environment in a much better way to help our country better fulfill those sounding first principles. Let's take a break. Michael Warren with us. Yes, and the illustration you use is a great one because I remember years ago I was actually teaching chapel at Dallas Theological Seminary,

[00:08:02] and I at the time was speaking on the issue of civil disobedience because there was a question about Operation Rescue and a number of other things. And I had a student come up afterwards and say, you know, applying these principles, I don't think I could justify actually supporting the American Revolution and the Declaration because we actually separated from England for imposing taxes without our consent, which is actually the phrase there.

[00:08:26] And I said, well, actually, if you go back and I would encourage you to read the Declaration, there's, as you point out, 28 reasons. That's not even one of the more significant ones there. And I think most people think that the only reason we left England was for taxation without representation. If they thought taxation without representation was bad, they should see taxation with representation. We'll be right back.

[00:08:59] This is Viewpoints with Kirby Anderson. You've probably heard the phrase, the government giveth and the government taketh away. That's an apt description of taxes and tariffs in 2026. Many Americans have been pleasantly surprised by the tax refunds they received this year because of the tax cuts inserted into the one big, beautiful bill. No taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security provided many Americans with a significant check from the IRS.

[00:09:27] Unfortunately, while the government was putting money back in the pockets of U.S. taxpayers with tax refunds, it was also taking money out through tariffs that increase prices that Americans pay. Former Senator Phil Graham is one of the co-authors of the Trump tax increase of 2026. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the taxes implemented during the Trump administration will generate $331 billion this year, but the new tax cuts will only save taxpayers $230 billion.

[00:09:55] One of the themes of this election is affordability. By October, the office estimates that these new tariffs will cost American consumers and businesses $443 billion, while the tax cuts will have provided them $379 billion. One question that is always asked about tariffs is, who pays? The CBO estimates that businesses are absorbing about 30% of the cost of tariffs. Consumers are paying their remaining 70%.

[00:10:22] Another question is, how will this affect the midterm elections? Defenders of the tariff policies argue that these tax cuts provide new benefits. Perhaps, but voters have short memories. Affordability is a major issue, especially with the Iran war's impact on supply chains. The president's tariffs have made prices higher. I'm Kirby Anderson, and that's my Point of View.

[00:10:49] Go deeper on topics like you just heard by visiting pointofview.net. That's pointofview.net. You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth. Thank you. Thank you. We have a link on the website there and find out more about him.

[00:11:16] Maybe schedule him to speak or maybe just learn a little bit more about that. Of course, we also have information about the book that you can get in Kindle or paperback. The Revolutionary Words, I should say, That Forged America, The Definitive Guide to the Declaration of Independence. And since you began with, of course, this idea we're endowed by our Creator, one of the things, Michael, that we see is that, yes, people are encouraged to read the Declaration. And I'll hold up our booklet right now.

[00:11:43] We have a booklet that has both the Declaration of Constitution, and it also has some information about pointofview. And we're making it available free of charge to anybody that would like to get it. And as they read through that, they're saying, You know, I see God a few places here. The idea of the laws of nature and nature's God that were endowed by their Creator. Then also that the colonists were appealing to the supreme judge of the world.

[00:12:09] And they also were then calling for protection of divine providence because they were going against the greatest military power of the 18th century. So God is either mentioned implicitly or explicitly four times in the Declaration, isn't he? Absolutely. There is no question.

[00:12:29] You know, there's been some revisionist history, especially that became fashionable in the 60s and 70s, that, you know, Jefferson was a deist and that the founding fathers were not particularly religious. And, you know, we could kind of secularize this document. And when I was younger, when I was in high school and college and even some portion of law school, I kind of tried to read it that way.

[00:12:58] And I kept reading it and said, No, you cannot do justice by ignoring the overarching importance of the supreme being. And it's, you know, as you said, there's several different ways that it's phrased all majestically. And there is no question. And the book spends a great deal of time on this, explaining that the worldview of the founding fathers, you know, there's an exception here or there, is that there is a supreme being. And even Jefferson believed there was a supreme being. Sure.

[00:13:27] He just didn't necessarily believe that Jesus was the savior and the messiah. But most of them were, the founding fathers and those that were involved in the Declaration and the Continental Congress were deeply religious men. There were many men that were trained in the ministry or theological schools. There wasn't really much of a debate.

[00:13:53] The atheists and what they would call Islams or Mohammedists were, you know, not taken. They understood, they respected them, but they didn't really, you know, there was no pretense of that was the correct worldview. It was certainly Judeo-Christian. And that's what we can maybe get into what oftentimes is referred to the most famous sentence in history.

[00:14:18] And that is the one you just read off where we hold these truths to be self-evident, which is chapter 11, that all men are created equal. That's chapter 12. And that they are endowed by their creator were certain and ailing of rights, chapter 13. And then from there, because that is a very significant statement. It's one that you chose to use to illustrate the Declaration. And it, again, is rooted in history to understand the Declaration.

[00:14:45] I can tell that you have taken the time to go back and say, well, there are people like John Locke and William Blackstone, maybe even the Lex Res principle of Samuel Rutherford. And many of these ideas were around at the time. And the genius, I think, of Thomas Jefferson and his committee is they brought them all together in a document that really has stood the test of time, hasn't it? Absolutely.

[00:15:11] I am, you know, I'm, of course, very biased, but I believe that this is the most remarkable non-scriptural document that has been produced by the hands of mankind. And you point out very rightly, and it wasn't just this myth that it was just kind of Thomas Jefferson sitting at a desk. There was a committee. We know that there were some changes that were offered by Franklin and Adams.

[00:15:38] We've kind of lost the history, what exactly there were. Then it goes to the convention or, excuse me, the Congress, and they hack and slack it and slice it up. And Adams rises to its defense and defends every word. Jefferson sulks in the corner. And basically every time they change something, he feels that he has been stabbed by a dagger.

[00:16:04] And, but most of the changes, there's one that you mentioned earlier that you said I struck it out, well, the Congress struck it out. But other than that one strikeout, almost every change was remarkable and improved the flow and the majesty of the documents.

[00:16:21] And I truly believe that the divine hand of God was in that room helping those delegates make a document that clearly stands the test of time and is truly immortal. You know, you did mention that when the one that was, of course, struck out was about slavery, that King George's war waged a cruel war against human nature and then talks about the slave trade and everything.

[00:16:49] And unfortunately, that did not stay because of some of the colonists. But I'm glad that you put that in there because a while back I was watching a video of Glenn Beck, who I have great respect for. And he said, I just discovered the other day that there was actually a statement in the Declaration. And that's chapter 50 of your book, by the way, that was condemning slavery. And I just learned that for the first time.

[00:17:14] And I thought, well, if somebody as educated as he just learned that, there's a sense in which some people will say, well, what about the founding? They didn't address the issue of slavery. Well, they attempted to do so in a number of different occasions. And, of course, there has been an attempt throughout our 250-year period to do a better job of coming back to those words, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.

[00:17:44] And I appreciate that you put that in there because it's just a reminder to some that the battle wasn't completed in 1776, but it was eventually resolved, wasn't it? Absolutely. And, you know, we do get a lot of criticism that the founding generation didn't go further in living up to the ideals that they enunciated, you know, that we've talked about. And, you know, that's fair criticism.

[00:18:12] But the reality is no one in the course of human history up to that time ever founded a nation on the belief that all men are created equal. And we did. And that fundamentally transformed the baseline for what was right and just in the world.

[00:18:30] And, as you mentioned, it served as the motivation for the abolitionists, the suffragettes, the women that were trying to get the vote, and the civil rights struggles. And, you know, even today there's folks that, you know, keep trying to, you know, they're expanding what it means to be equal. And you may or may not agree with their specific viewpoints.

[00:18:55] But the foundation of the striving to achieve equality and giving everyone due respect of their unalienable rights clearly stems from the Declaration. And as soon as those words were out there, there was a movement for abolitionism where people said, you put it out there, but we know there's slavery, you're being hypocrites, and we need to change the system.

[00:19:21] And without violent struggle, slavery was abolished in the north relatively quickly within, I mean, it could never be quick enough, but within a couple decades, basically, it was extinct. And the founding generation doesn't get the credit it needs, it should, that it deserves. That's a monumental change in the course of human history.

[00:19:46] And, you know, people like Jefferson and Patrick Henry and others, they recognized that they were being hypocrites. And they didn't, they were betwixt and confused and weren't sure how they should get out of this mess. George Washington emancipated his slaves upon his death.

[00:20:13] And Franklin was a slave owner, became an abolitionist, started an anti-slavery organization in Philadelphia. There's founder after founder that actually put their money where their mouth is. Yes. And we should recognize that. Yeah. Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, John Adams, all those. Well, we need to take a break. When we come back, I thought we might focus on the other part of that, that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. That's chapter 17.

[00:20:42] Chapter 18, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. And then chapter 19, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.

[00:21:09] Again, if you want to know more about the Declaration, well, we're making it available to you. It's free of charge. Simply go to the website, pointofview.net. It is the Declaration and Constitution, a pocketbook form that we are making available. And you can go to the website. If you'd like to know more about this book, The Revolutionary Words That Forged America, go to pointofview.net. And we'll be back right after this.

[00:21:31] I'm sure that you've noticed that social media is now filled with information generated by AI. Dramatic descriptions of politicians and music stars supposedly making statements about a current issue, leaning into the microphone, looking into the lens, opponents silenced. It's powerful. It's riveting. And it's all lies.

[00:21:57] Even several national television networks were recently found using enhanced pictures, meaning manipulated, falsified, literally not giving a true picture. So many liars. So much deception. Where can we turn for truth? Right here from Kirby and the team at Point of View. We need your support. Please join the Point of View Truth team today with a monthly gift of $30 or more.

[00:22:26] Together, we can shine the light of truth and dispel the darkness and deception of this day. Give now at pointofview.net or call 1-800-347-5151. Pointofview.net and 800-347-5151. Point of View will continue after this.

[00:23:01] You are listening to Point of View. The opinions expressed on Point of View do not necessarily reflect the views of the management or staff of this station. And now, here again, is Kirby Anderson. Back once again, our conversation with Judge Michael Warren. The revolutionary words that forged America, the definitive guide to the Declaration of Independence. Let's open up the phones in case you have a comment or a question.

[00:23:30] If not, you might just want to sit back and listen, maybe take some notes. But it's a fascinating conversation we're having today. And I thought for just a few minutes we might, Judge, talk about the idea of deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Because the middle part of your book really gets into that in some detail because it relates back to this idea of a social compact.

[00:23:53] I've oftentimes said that the Declaration gives us the why of American government and the Constitution gives us the how. And you point out that if you go to the Constitution, of course, you see in Article 1, the legislative authority, which is vested in Congress. Article 2, of course, we're talking about the president. And then Article 3, we're talking about judges. We're talking about all sorts of different aspects of that.

[00:24:19] But the key there, I think you say, is that the American experiment really actualizes or actualizes the first principle of the social contract and the social compact. It's been called both. And it does seem to me that that goes back to some of the writings that happened at the time, whether it's Hobbes and Locke and Montescue and others. Can you kind of develop that for us?

[00:24:46] Because some people don't see the connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. And I think you do a very good job in your book explaining that. Well, thank you very much. I have this favorite quote of mine, not mine, that I put in the book. It's on page 156. It's Thomas Paine, who also was an abolitionist, and from Common Sense, which is really the leading closing argument for the revolution. And he wrote,

[00:25:14] Society in every state is a blessing. A government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil. In its worst state, an intolerable one. Government-like dress is the badge of lost innocence. The palaces of the kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the impulses of conscience clear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no other lawgiver.

[00:25:38] But that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest. And when he says property, he means our rights. Here, then, is the origin and rise of government, namely, a mode rendered necessary by the inability of moral virtue to govern the world. Here, too, is the design and end of government, namely, freedom and security. So the whole point of having a government, he could write, right? He and Jefferson were fantastic.

[00:26:06] The whole point of having a government is to ensure the protection of your unalienable rights. And a simple example is if you're at home and you don't have a police force, you don't have a military, you just have your own home by yourself, and somebody breaks in and beats up your wife and steals your TV or runs down the street,

[00:26:29] you have, if there's no government, your only option is to chase the man down and beat him up in return and extract the TV from him, which is vigilante justice. And insurers and Hobbes view, you know, a war of awe against awe. And so we give up some of our rights to allow for the creation of a government to protect our rights. That's the whole point of the government.

[00:26:57] And I think this is an idea that is lost on almost all current American and world politicians. And if you understand that, then you understand that the government should be limited and that it shouldn't be, you know, have unlimited absolute power. And that's a fundamental principle of American constitutional law. And it's derived from the declaration.

[00:27:26] It's laid out there in magical words. And, again, if you understand that, it really forms the basis of protecting our liberties and freedoms. Well, on the other side of that was is that when government has engaged in, I'll use the phrase from the declaration, a long train of abuses and usurpations, it becomes then the right and the duty to alter or abolish it.

[00:27:52] Now, again, within the Constitution, there is a way in which you can alter it by the amendment process, or you also talk about a constitutional convention. This was, of course, a desire to abolish that and institute a new government. But that really brings us back to the responsibilities, the rights and responsibilities of every citizen, right? Absolutely.

[00:28:18] We believe, or at least we should believe, that we are all children of God, that we each have, I like to say, a divine spark in us, that a celestial fire, in the words of George Washington, that resides in us. Right. And we are equal to each other by nature. And we have those unanimal rights.

[00:28:43] And so when we band together, we only give up as much as we need so that we can have security. You don't give up a little bit of your rights to the government and then allow them to have unfettered, unlimited power. That would not be consent of the governed, although Hobbes felt that way. It would be, you know, the creation of a tyranny in lieu of your individual liberties. And so that's fundamental.

[00:29:11] And one way that we've constitutionalized this idea of being able to reform or abolish a government is election. And that's why we vote every two years for a new House and every six years for a senator and every four years for a president is because that's a bloodless way to throw the bums out without having to get your pitchforks and your torches.

[00:29:39] And then, as you mentioned, you can amend the Constitution or you could convene a constitutional convention. And there's other safeguards, lawsuits, other ways that you can petition the government. You have the freedom to speak. You have the freedom of press, the freedom of association, the freedom of religion. All these ways are to ensure the protection of our freedoms and to allow for the reform of the government without having to go through a revolution.

[00:30:07] Well, one of the things we've talked about on this program is that usually on our Friday, we have at least somebody from First Liberty Institute, Kelly Shackelford, or this week we'll have Jeff Mateer. Or, of course, we have people from Alliance Defending Freedom, Latham Watts and others. And we are right now enjoying greater religious freedom than perhaps ever because we are seeing some of these precedents that have come down in the past that have been, in one way or another, limiting the First Amendment,

[00:30:36] whether it's the establishment of religion, the prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or even the idea of freedom of speech and a variety of others. And so, in some respects, it's back to this very key idea that if we find things that we feel are an abuse of the constitutional order, we have a responsibility to bring about this change. Some of that has happened legislatively, certainly by electing the right individuals.

[00:31:05] Some of it has happened by electing the right individuals that put the right justices in the court to bring about those changes. But it brings us back to one of the key foundational principles in the Declaration of Independence. Absolutely. And, you know, Jefferson and Madison and others believe that in the priority of religion,

[00:31:31] excuse me, priority of rights, that the free exercise of religion was on top because you have to give your homage and your worship to the divine being. And that's your first priority. It's above everything else. And some people like to say, well, that's why it's in the First Amendment. Actually, the First Amendment was the Third Amendment. Long story. Yes. The first two didn't get adopted. Very true. But it is the first thing in, you know, in the Declaration.

[00:32:01] Or excuse me, in the First Amendment. And so it's a fundamental right. It goes to the ability to save your soul. And it should not be let go without fierce opposition. And people have a duty to ensure that they have the ability to worship God in the way that they need to. And they should give everyone the freedom to be able to do that. We're going to take a break.

[00:32:30] When we come back, I thought for just a minute we might focus on that very long list, 28 different abuses. To illustrate this, again, the booklet we've been making available on the Declaration and Constitution. The first page and a half is the material we sort of covered. And then the next six pages are the ongoing list of all the things that the king had abused.

[00:32:57] And again, it says that we submit these facts to a candid world. And since a very significant part of the Declaration and almost half of your book certainly is on the subject of some of those abuses, I thought we might highlight a few because so many people think that the only reason we separated from England was due to taxation without representation. There are many other issues there as well.

[00:33:27] And you have taken the time in a very exhaustive way to look at each one of those abuses that were listed and to talk about those significant abuses. So we're going to come back and talk about that as we continue our conversation on the revolutionary words that forged America. We'll be right back.

[00:33:46] You're listening to Point of View, your listener-supported source for truth. Would you like to know a little bit more about my guest or even about his book, The Revolutionary Words That Forged America, Judge Michael Warren? We have all that information on our website at pointofview.net.

[00:34:16] But at least half, almost more than half of your book has to do with those 28 different abuses, which are listed in a very significant way, culminating in the idea that really these are acts that define a tyrant. And I thought for just a minute, since you have devoted so much of your book to that, you might mention a few or the significance of those because the average American, as you certainly have pointed out,

[00:34:43] when asked why did we even separate from England, the answer you most often get is no taxation without representation. And there are 27 other particular items, not to mention one that was left off on slavery, that certainly need to be mentioned as well, don't they? Absolutely. So I'll try my best to be concise. The first, I appreciate this opportunity.

[00:35:10] The first one is he has, the very first grievance is he has refused his assent to law as the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He is the king. And back then, if a colonial legislator passed the law, it would not become effective unless the king assented to it, in other words, approved it. And the book lays out how there are hundreds and hundreds of laws, including things like dealing with divorce,

[00:35:37] that, like people couldn't get divorced unless the king approved the law and he refused to approve the law, that really subverted self-government. And one example that I think is just highlights the nuances and complexities of the American Revolution is the slave trade. Yes. Virginia wanted to tax it out of existence, so they passed a law to do that. There was another colony that was trying to do the same thing.

[00:36:06] But the king liked the slave trade, so he said no. And so Thomas Jefferson, the slaveholder, is trying to condemn the king, or does condemn the king, for not allowing Virginia to attack the slave trade. I mean, the irony there is rich. Another one is that he obstructed the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers. Yes.

[00:36:35] So this was in North Carolina. The colony had this, you know, unlike today, they would pass a law to create a court system. Then it would expire. So it would sunset. And so they had to pass a new law. So they tried to pass a new law, but they wanted to – this gets very technical in the weeds – but basically they wanted to make it easier to collect debts in North Carolina. And the king didn't like that.

[00:37:01] And so the king refused, and then the court system expired, and there were no courts in North Carolina for several years until the revolution. So that's insane. He imposed basically a trade embargo. So, you know, we're hearing about the trade embargo across the colonies. That was devastating to the colonies. As I mentioned before, he changed the rules of the game in connection with jury trials.

[00:37:31] Normally, if you're accused of a crime, you'd be tried by a jury of your peers in which alleged crime occurred. I'm in the middle of a criminal murder trial right now, on recess, obviously, but my pool is from Oakland County. I think you said Oklahoma, but Oakland County. And that's how it was supposed to work back in the colonial days when they passed the T-TACs, the Stamp Act, the Boston Court Bill, other acts. They knew it was going to be difficult to get convictions.

[00:37:56] So they made those cases tribal by the admiralty courts, which were in Halifax in Canada or in London and England. So they'd ship people overseas. And they were tried by judges who were appointed by the king and served at his pleasure, which is a fancy way of saying if the king didn't like his decisions, he could fire the judges. So imagine if Joe Biden or Donald Trump could fire every judge he disagreed with or your local governor.

[00:38:26] I mean, it was crazy, but that's what was going on there. I could suspend the legislature. That was another one. Yes. So he passed an act. So they closed down the Massachusetts legislature, shut it down totally, and replaced it with a governor. And then he – initially it was a civilian governor. Then he replaced that guy with a military man.

[00:38:51] So they basically had a military dictatorship running Massachusetts, a big colony, you know, the hotbed of the American Revolution. But that was part of the reason was because they had a military dictator running their state. And so, you know, there's – what we tend to forget is how violent the revolution was or the British oppression was before we declared independent.

[00:39:19] So he – the king, before we declared independent, said, you're all rebels and I'm not protecting you anymore. So he – as I said before, he closed the trade. And then he had his ships attack American vessels. He would impress the sailors, take them off and basically make them slaves to the British Empire to work on the English ships.

[00:39:45] Then he had the ships attack – here's the language. He's plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. Yes. That all happened. They literally bombarded coastal towns and set them afire. And so he was at war with the colonies before the colonies really were at war with the British Empire. And that's just a smattering of them.

[00:40:14] So there's, you know, before the revolution when they were imposed – this is one that might have some resonance today. He has erected a multitude of new offices and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. So he created a whole bunch of bureaucrats, sent them over to America to enforce the Stamp Act and subsequent acts of legislation for taxation.

[00:40:43] So it was on all fronts. You know, legislative, judicial, taxes, domestic tranquility. It was a ravaging of American liberty. Very sure. And again, ends with, again, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. And again, this is part of this book, which is The Revolutionary Words That Forged America,

[00:41:12] The Definitive Guide to the Declaration of Independence. Obviously, we've only covered some parts of that. But if you'd like to know a little bit more about Judge Michael Warren, you can go to JudgeMichaelWarren.com. You can find out much more about what he is doing. And if you would like to contact him, we have that link on the website. Of course, we also have a link to this book, which you can get either in paperback or Kindle. So, Judge, thank you for writing the book. And thank you.

[00:41:39] I know you're a very busy individual for giving us an hour today to talk about it here on Point of View. So, Kirby, it was my pleasure. Thank you so much. God bless you, and God bless America. Well, again, I would encourage you to find out more about this. As we've mentioned before, we've had some of these booklets on the Declaration. Of course, we're making available right now this Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. You can simply go to the website, pointofview.net.

[00:42:06] As you go there, you will see that there is a place where you can get a free booklet. Click on the button that says Get a Free Booklet. You can scroll down. There's a place for you to receive this by digital download. And then we would, of course, need your email. But if you'd like us to mail this to you, and we'd be glad to do so, just make sure that the box that says Receive in the Mail and give us your address.

[00:42:30] At the same time, you can also sign up to receive the Viewpoint Daily Commentary, which I just read a few minutes ago. Also, you can receive the Pray for America weekly email. So, there's some ways in which, as you go to the website, pointofview.net, you can get a free booklet and other resources we would want to put in your hands. We're going to continue educating you about America 250. And this was one of those attempts to do so today with a very good book by Judge Michael Warren.

[00:42:59] That's all we have for today. I want to thank Megan for her help engineering the program. Steve, thank you for producing the program. We'll see you back here tomorrow, right here on Point of View. Where does moral truth come from? According to 58% of Americans, individuals determine moral truth.

[00:43:23] A quarter of Generation Z says society determines moral truth, and morality can even change over time. Only 42% of Americans believe that truth comes from God. I don't know about you, but I find these numbers extremely troubling. It really is a crisis of truth, and that crisis has consequences. Look at society. Evil is called good. Good called evil. People with biblical beliefs are called bigots. Or worse, they're canceled.

[00:43:52] But there is hope. The Bible promises the truth will set us free. And that's why Point of View is relentless in our commitment to the ultimate source of moral truth, God's Word. At Point of View, we know that God's truth is eternal. And if we stand together, we can help more Americans apply His truth in their daily life. Help Americans find truth again by giving at pointofview.net.

[00:44:19] Or call 1-800-347-5151. That's pointofview.net. And 800-347-5151. Point of View is produced by Point of View Ministries.