"Oppression makes a wise man mad. Your fathers were wise men, and if they did not go mad, they became restive under this treatment. They felt themselves the victims of grievous wrongs, wholly incurable in their colonial capacity. With brave men there is always a remedy for oppression. Just here, the idea of a total separation of the colonies from the crown was born! It was a startling idea, much more so than we, at this distance of time, regard it. The timid and the prudent (as has been intimated) of that day were, of course, shocked and alarmed by it." (The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro, Frederick Douglass)
History happens when change happens; change happens when people make them happen. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is a very popular saying, a saying that applies to history. Throughout history people saw many "broken" issues and took it upon themselves to fix it, they sacrificed themselves and their family for a better tomorrow. Douglass was right when he said "oppression makes a wise man mad," many - if not all - revolutions happened in the name of change.
I chose this passage because change is happening right now. There are many wars going on in the middle east right now, wars that will bring on change regardless who wins. Even though we may not be experiencing it first hand, it is happening. There will always be something in life that needs to be improved, and it is up to us to make sure that happens.
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