Dear Friends,
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States it is appropriate to ask the question, “Do you believe in miracles?”
Considering the formidable circumstances our forefathers faced when they made the fateful decision to declare our independence on July 4, 1776, several historians argue it took nothing less than a miracle for them to succeed.
When men of great stature such as John Adams, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington gathered that sultry summer to consider severing all ties with England and declaring a new nation, they knew full well what they were up against. They were taking on the world’s greatest empire with the largest army and navy on earth. For their part they had little in the way of an organized army. They would rely on farmers, merchants and even preachers to fill their ranks. To make matters worse, only a third of the population at the time was in favor of declaring independence.
Many argue that nothing less than Divine intervention could explain how a small skirmish that began on the grounds of Lexington Green could end six years later at Yorktown with a humiliated British General Howe handing his sword to a victorious General George Washington.
Nowhere is the case for Divine Providence acting on behalf of the American Revolution more compelling than in the case of George Washington. His biography reads like a suspense novel with the hero incredibly escaping death time after time.
As a young man he contracted smallpox -- typically a death warrant. Yet, he not only survived the disease, but as a result became immune to it. This prevented him from ever contracting the disease again even while decades later hundreds of his soldiers would die from it during the War.
He once fell off a homemade raft while attempting to cross a river in wintertime. He miraculously surfaced, made it to shore, and survived the night despite spending it in frozen clothes. He suffered neither hypothermia nor illness and the next day was able to make his way back to safety.
During the French and Indian Wars, he was serving with the British Army. His unit was suddenly ambushed by the enemy and all but one officer was killed – George Washington. He was able to rally his troops and escape from the enemy, despite the fact he suffered four bullet holes in his clothing, his hat was shot off, and two horses were shot out from underneath him.
Even nature’s God seemed to favor the General. In the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, Washington found himself surrounded by British ground forces. Adding to the dire situation, England’s formidable navy had sailed up the river to deliver the final crushing blow to his beleaguered army and snuff out the Revolution.
Yet the next morning a mysterious fog appeared over the river. It was so dense it entirely blocked the view of the British army on the other shore including the ships in the river. Unbelievably, on Washington’s side of the river there was no fog -- the sun shone with magnificent brightness. With the fog providing needed cover, Washington and his troops executed a masterful retreat escaping the noose that had entangled them.
You can argue that all these events were just masterful tactics, the fortunes of war, or plain luck. Yet how many coincidences can occur before another explanation is required? Benjamin Franklin, an eyewitness to the remarkable events surrounding the birth of America, offered this conclusion, “The Sovereign hand of God rules in the affairs of men.”
Author Michael Medved summed up the astonishing events that surrounded the birth of the United States like this, “America is no accident.” As we approach the 250th anniversary of our great nation, we give thanks for the blessing of America, for the liberty she defends, and for the God whose providence called her into being and continues to lead her forward.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” Psalm 127:1
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
The Law Offices of Mark S. Knutson, S.C.
2025
Footnote: This letter contains a significant amount of information from the movie, “The American Miracle: Our Nation is No Accident,” by Darrel Schuler https://americanmiraclemovie.com/ and the book, “The American Miracle: Divine Providence in the Rise of the Republic,” by Michael Medved, Forum Books, 2017.