The following speech was delivered by me at the Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve Liberty Tree planting ceremony on April 24, 2026.
Text of speech:
It’s Arbor Day and we are planting a tree. Not any old tree but a Liberty Tree, continuing a grand tradition tracing back to the 18th century in Boston.
Then, British subjects, acting instead like citizens, argued the shape of their future, under an ancient elm planted over 100 years before.
That tree was cut down by opponents of the future republic, during the occupation of Boston in 1775. When George Washington’s forces drove the Brits out of the city, a liberty pole was immediately established on that site so that the discussion of the future could continue.
In this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the notion of a Liberty Tree takes on special meaning. For it is that document, the Declaration, which is the heart and soul of the American Republic.
In it we find the following sentence, called by one historian, “the greatest sentence ever written.”
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
This ancient wisdom, as Abraham Lincoln called it, is the well we must always return to when our nation is troubled, as it is now.
During a speech in Alton, Illinois, on October 15, 1858, Abraham Lincoln poetically explicated what the founders meant by these phrases.
“They meant to set up a standard maxim for free society which should be familiar to all: constantly looked to, constantly labored for, and even, though never perfectly attained, constantly approximated, and thereby constantly spreading and deepening its influence and augmenting the happiness and value of life to all people, of all colors, everywhere.”
But there is more.
We are so fortunate to be standing today, here at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. This is our 700 acres. It belongs to the people of Loudoun County. It supports over 50 native tree species, over 200 flowering plants, some quite rare, at least 100 species of native bees and much more. This, our new Liberty Tree planted here will never have to worry about its living space.
There will be no houses –
No roads –
No golf courses –
And No data centers built here near our Liberty Tree.
It will be free to grow –
To grow to its full potential.
Our Liberty Tree is a White Oak tree. Since 2004 the oak tree has been our national tree, so in that way it is quite appropriate.
But the White Oak is also a powerful symbol of strength and endurance. It can live up to 600 years. There is every reason to believe that this tree we are planting here today at Banshee Reeks will be alive in this spot on the 750th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in more than 25 generations… if the Republic survives.
And this tree, in its lifespan, will support thousands of insect species, birds and mammals. And every year it lives, with its soaring branches reaching as high as a 15-story building, it will call out to the current generation, “I am still here, how goes the republic?”
-end-
Note: This speech was inspired by historian Nancy Spannaus’ book From Subject to Citizens – What Americans Need to Know About Their Revolution.
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