Unknown US Patriot
Although the United States declared independence on July 4, 1776, war would rage until 1783 when England was defeated in the American Revolutionary War. During and since that war, there is no memorial for the unknown, overlooked risk-takers – the men, women, and children whose sacrifices have driven America along the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.
To tackle this shameful situation, mindful of the sacrifices borne by these forebears – in whose symbolic shadow America stands, we envision a designated ‘Tomb of the Unknown Patriots of the American War of Independence.
Similar in thought and meaning to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Patriot of the American War of Independence’ will serve as a multifaceted shrine honoring the thousands of American patriots whose deaths were never adequately recognized or afforded a proper burial. This includes those killed in action, militiamen who succumbed to diseases, and those who died as prisoners of war.
To remove this tarnish, enhance the shine of a America, and meaningfully restore the dignity of these patriots who were overlooked, soil will be collected from significant battlefield sites across the country, including Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts; Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Yorktown, Virginia; Saratoga, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania; and Bunker Hill, Massachusetts (not exclusively) – where lives were lost in the most difficult of circumstances.
The soil, which we believe still holds the sweat, tears, and blood of Patriots of the American War of Independence, will be transferred to the Tomb of the Unknown Patriots of the American War of Independence at the World Colonization Memorial, where a giant symbolic candle will burn in their honor.
On Independence Day, which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America, the American flag will be flown at half-staff during an annual ceremony featuring the reading of names by selected students and a wreath-laying ceremony by elected officials.