The Market for Freedom

"Give me liberty or give me death."
--Patrick Henry, 1775

Each time I reflect on this sentence I'm humbled by its implication. Those who value liberty to the utmost are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in a (perhaps inevitable) struggle to attain it.

Patrick Henry's words were quite literally expressed through the mortal actions of many during the American Revolution.

Great libertarian thinkers throughout history have recognized that the struggle for freedom never ends. Once attained, liberty is constantly under attack by others seeking economic or political gain.

There can be little question that the assault on liberty in this country has been escalating for a long time--at least a century. Sadly, US citizenry has generally been willing to cede freedom away to the State.

I wonder whether this trend might not be slowing, as isolated pockets begin to speak out against escalating State intervention. My hope is that this form of resistance gains traction, such that a market for liberty is once again sought in size.

This is what occured in the early 1770s. Early calls for liberty were first ridiculed and then debated. The vision of freedom gained momentum until enough people, driven by sheer will, decided to take action to convert the construct into reality.

At that time, unfortunately, violence was necessary in the late 1770s in order to bring the idea to life. This is because the State pushed back.

Should enough US citizenry seek to reclaim liberty lost, what are the chances that the State will once again push back? My reading of history suggests that pushback by the State is inevitable.

If probablity of pushback is near certain, then what happens next?