3500 years ago Moses led the enslaved Jews to freedom and gave them Ten Commandments and 613 laws to live by. Over a thousand years later, the Greeks gave us democracy. Another 2000 years passed before our founding fathers combined the two ideas to build our nation, however imperfect at the time, to advance the cause of human evolution.

George Washington fought the American Revolution to birth our nation. Abraham Lincoln fought the Civil War to save our nation; and Franklin Roosevelt fought WWII to ensure that not only Americans, but humanity at large had the right to four basic freedoms -- Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.

While Washington had Benjamin Franklin to set an example for an ideal American, FDR was fortunate to have Norman Rockwell to illustrate the four freedoms worth fighting a world war for.

The American experience is testament to the ideals built on 3500 years of human advancement from the law of the jungle where might makes right, to the ideals of today with the promise of further advancement over the centuries to come. Whether fighting the British 250 years ago; fighting Nazi Germany 75 years ago, or fighting a Cold War to bring down the Soviet Union, America has always stepped up to the plate to fight for freedom.

So next time you think the American century is over, visit Norman Rockwell’s illustrated masterpieces to remind yourself of the blood and treasure it took to get us here, and the ongoing obligation we have to carry, however slowly and imperfectly, the heavy burden freedom demands.

— Sina.