Many lost their property, fortunes, and even their lives (or those of their family members) during the Revolutionary War.

They rebelled against the idea that people were subjects, not citizens. They revolted against the belief that kings and queens had absolute power over the people. They rejected a government that saw them as part of a collective, instead of citizens with individual rights.

Yet, now; 250 years later we have people voting in politicians who embrace the very tyranny the founders risked everything to oppose.

Mamdani (D-NY), the socialist mayor of New York City promised “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

He either ignores history or embraces tyranny as a viable tradeoff between the “warmth” of dependency on government and the freedom of a participating in a market that rewards innovation and creating value for one’s fellow citizens.

Free markets unleash the potential of human beings. Socialism destroys our spirit and is antithetical to principles established by our founders and defended by so many over the past 250 years.

On September 17, 1787, Benjamin Franklin, as he was leaving the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, was asked if we have a republic or a monarchy. Franklin immediately replied: "A republic, if you can keep it.”

May we keep it, defend it, and relish it for another 250 years.