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Freedom is fragile if our voices are silent.
On this second day of our journey through America’s founding freedoms, we honor the right that breathes life into all the others: the right to speak freely.

No one fought harder to protect this freedom than Benjamin Franklin — printer, inventor, diplomat, and a master of the written word. If Thomas Jefferson gave freedom its voice on parchment, Franklin made sure that voice echoed far and wide.

A Printer of Dangerous Ideas

Long before he became one of the most recognizable Founding Fathers, Franklin was a young printer’s apprentice. He learned quickly that words hold power — power to inform, to expose injustice, and to stir people to action.

At a time when criticizing the king could land you in prison — or worse — Franklin used satire and plainspoken truth to push boundaries. His Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack spread ideas that threatened tyrants and empowered everyday colonists to think for themselves.

He knew that freedom of speech and a free press were the lifeblood of liberty. Without them, there could be no honest debate, no accountability, no defense against lies and corruption.

Words That Sparked a Revolution

When Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence at 70 years old, he joked, “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

But behind his wit was an unshakable conviction: a free people must be free to speak truth to power. The revolution could not have happened if colonists hadn’t shared pamphlets, debated in taverns, and published daring articles that exposed injustice and rallied neighbors to the cause of independence.

Still Ours to Claim

Fast forward nearly 250 years. Today, freedom of speech remains one of our most treasured — and sometimes most tested — rights.

Social media platforms, news outlets, and even dinner tables have become battlegrounds for ideas. The temptation to silence others — or be silenced ourselves — creeps in from every side.

But Franklin’s life reminds us: free speech isn’t free because it’s comfortable. It’s free because it invites disagreement. It demands courage. It protects the unpopular as much as the mainstream.

Your Voice Still Matters

This freedom isn’t reserved for politicians, journalists, or pundits. It’s yours — the single mom at the PTA meeting, the worker at the lunch table, the student questioning what’s taught in class.

When you speak up — kindly but firmly — for what you believe is right, you carry Franklin’s torch. When you write a letter, post an opinion, or stand before a council and say, “This isn’t right,” you prove that the right to speak freely still lives.

Guarding the Flame

Franklin once wrote, “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” He knew then what we must remember now: no freedom slips away faster than the one we refuse to use.

So use your voice. Use it boldly, wisely, and with respect for the voices of others.

A Call to Speak

Today, as we celebrate Day 2 of our 10 Days of Freedom, think about Benjamin Franklin hunched over a printing press by candlelight, setting type letter by letter. Think about the courage it took to spread truth that powerful people wanted hidden.

Then ask yourself: What truth can I share? Who needs to hear my voice?

You don’t need a press — your phone, your words, your vote, your stand at the dinner table all matter.

This is how we keep our freedoms alive — not just by celebrating them once a year but by practicing them every day.

Tomorrow, we’ll explore another freedom: the right to worship freely — and we’ll meet John Witherspoon, the clergyman who risked it all to defend faith and freedom for generations to come.

To our freedom,

Matt

P.S. Remember Psalm 146: 3-4