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Theirs are but four stories among millions. What they represent is inspirational for us all.
Sam was a businessman. He left his native country and emigrated to America with a dream of prosperity. He settled in Boston, Mass. Old Sam was doing pretty well for himself, business was good, and people were friendly.
Unfortunately Sam's nemesis from the old country, George, had some friends in the same business as Sam. He pulled some strings to give them an unfair selling advantage over Sam and his competitors. Sam was steamed. He heard that there was also unrest over the same practices in Philadelphia.
What chewed at Sam the most wasn't the fact that George showed favoritism to his pals. It was that he had no voice in the matter whatsoever. Sam wasn't the only one who felt that way and, on the morning of Dec. 16, he and 149 other men disguised themselves and attacked the deliverymen unloading George's buddy's product. They succeeded in destroying over 24 million single servings of the stuff.
Dred was enjoying life in rural Illinois. Things for him hadn't always been so good. Dred had been born and raised in Missouri. When the census man came around he sized up Dred, all 6 feet, 180 pounds of him, and demeaningly marked him down as 3/5 of a person. After 10 years of doing what he pleased in Illinois, old Dred took a trip to visit his friends back in Missouri. Just as he began reconnecting with old acquaintances, a man who felt he had the right to control Dred's will, had him arrested for fleeing the state 10 years earlier. Dred sued in federal court for his rights -- he lost.
Susan was the type of woman who knew where her place was -- any damn where she wanted to be. There were many highly placed people, however, who wanted to limit Susan -- and others like her -- to a second-class citizen status. Susan wasn't having any of it. After meeting with her friends Elizabeth and Frederick in Rochester, N.Y., she decided to test recently passed amendments to the Constitution. Susan saw herself as a pioneer and a patriot -- a judge saw her as a criminal and fined her $100. Susan looked him in the eye and told him that she'd never pay -- and true to her word, she never did.
Li was a 17-year-old student in Communist China. Both of his parents were professors and the intelligent, charming Li was thought by many to have a bright future ahead of him. In early April of his 17th year, a powerful man of the people -- one who seemed to speak to the heart of China's youth -- was gunned down in cold blood. Li -- along with thousands of his contemporaries -- began to stage peaceful protests in the town square. By mid-May they had embarked on a grueling hunger strike. When the powers that be saw that Li and his friends were determined to succeed, they made a dire, fateful decision. On June 3, the bright light of Li, and hundreds like him, was extinguished forever.
The four kindred spirits we speak of were divided by 3 C's -- Centuries, Countries and Class. 3 D's -- Determination, Democracy and Destiny -- united them. Although they each had many reasons behind their actions, one in particular stood at the center of their fight against tyranny. Sam, Dred, Susan and Li demanded a voice through the right to vote.
Samuel Adams led the Boston Tea Party in defiance of King George III's Tea Act of 1773. Much more than tea was at stake. The colonists demanded that there would be "no taxation without representation." After they dumped over $1 million of tea (in today's money) -- into the Atlantic, they rejoiced in the streets of Boston by singing the "Liberty Song."
Dred Scott was born into slavery in the state of Missouri in the early 1800's. He escaped to Illinois and lived life as a free man for 10 years.
When he attempted to return, his former master had him arrested. Dred sued in federal court for permanent emancipation and citizenship status. At the core of his lawsuit was the right to vote and control his own destiny.
The court ruled that no blacks could be U.S. citizens because the Constitution itself excluded them from national community. Although Dred Scott lost his case, his plight inspired many to fight for his cause and was instrumental in swaying President Lincoln in his forging of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Until Susan B. Anthony forced the issue, only men who owned property could vote. The 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution broadened those guidelines, but not to the extent of giving women the vote. Susan B. Anthony voted anyway. Her subsequent arrest and trial drew widespread attention to the cause and, in 1920, the 19th amendment was signed, forever giving American women the right to vote.
Li Zilin was one of many students who stood up to the Chinese military in Tiananmen Square in 1989. He and his fellow students wanted the right to vote into power people of their choosing and to not live under the rule of tyranny. On June 3, 1989 they stood holding signs that said, "If you fall, we will take your place." Li stood in front of a military tank and was ground unmercifully beneath its weight. Since then, his parents have been under virtual house arrest. His mother, Ding Zilin, speaks to us all when she says, "(the right to vote and democracy) were the dreams of those who gave their lives at Tiananmen Square. They are the goals for which we, the living, strive."
These four patriots put everything on the line for the right to have a voice in their government.
Honor them by exercising your right to vote on Tuesday, November 6.