It was by one Union that we achieved our independence and

In the solemn and resolute words of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States, he proclaimed, “It was by one Union that we achieved our independence and liberties, and by it alone can they be maintained.” These words, spoken in the early years of the young republic, were not mere rhetoric — they were a warning, a plea, and a truth carved from the hard stone of history. Monroe had seen the birth of the nation with his own eyes; he had fought in the Revolutionary War, and he knew well that the triumph of freedom had not been the work of scattered colonies but of a united people, bound by common purpose and shared sacrifice. His statement is both a reflection on the past and a prophecy for the future: that unity is the lifeblood of liberty, and division its silent destroyer.

When Monroe spoke of one Union, he spoke of more than a political structure — he spoke of a living covenant among free men and women. The American Union, fragile in its infancy, was born out of necessity, yet consecrated by belief. The thirteen colonies had once been as different as distant stars: divided by trade, by geography, by custom. But when tyranny darkened their horizon, they joined their lights together and formed a constellation of freedom. By their unity, they overcame the mightiest empire on earth. By their shared faith in liberty, they forged a new dawn for mankind. Monroe’s words remind us that what was won by unity can only be preserved by it.

History bears witness to his warning. The Revolution had shown that strength lies in solidarity, but the years that followed showed how quickly that bond could fray. The young nation trembled under the weight of internal conflict, regional ambition, and the temptation of self-interest. The Founding Fathers had known this danger — that liberty without union would become chaos, and union without liberty would become tyranny. Monroe, standing between these truths, became the voice of balance: that freedom and unity must walk hand in hand, or both will fall.

Consider the fate of other peoples who have failed to heed this wisdom. The proud city-states of ancient Greece, though rich in art and philosophy, fell not to their enemies but to their own division. Athens and Sparta, once united against Persia, turned their swords upon one another, and their glory faded like smoke on the wind. Their story is an echo of Monroe’s message: that a people divided cannot endure, and that independence won without unity is a candle in a storm.

Monroe’s vision of unity was not blind conformity. He did not call for sameness, but for solidarity — a harmony of differences bound by shared ideals. He saw that true strength lies in diversity rightly joined: many voices, but one purpose; many hands, but one labor; many hearts, but one devotion to the cause of liberty. For he understood that liberty is not a solitary possession, but a shared inheritance. To maintain it requires a common will, a continual act of cooperation, and the humility to remember that no man preserves freedom alone.

Let this, then, be the lesson for all generations: cherish unity as the guardian of your freedom. In your homes, in your communities, in your nations — let not pride or prejudice sever the bond that joins you to your neighbor. When discord whispers that you are separate, remember that every division weakens the whole. The liberty you enjoy today was purchased not by one man’s strength, but by many men’s agreement to stand together in peril. And it will be lost in the same measure that you forget this truth.

So, dear listener, when you hear voices that seek to divide — by creed, by color, by interest, or by party — recall the wisdom of James Monroe. The flag that waves above you was not woven by isolated hands, but by hands united in struggle. The freedom you breathe is not the gift of factions, but the victory of one Union. Guard that unity as sacred. For though nations may be born in revolution, they endure only through fidelity to one another.

Thus, Monroe’s words ring as a timeless commandment: “By Union we achieved our independence — by Union alone can we keep it.” Let no age forget it, and no generation break it, lest the light of liberty flicker once more into darkness.