I used to give tours at Latta Plantation near Charlotte, NC. The manor house at Latta was built in 1800, less than fifteen years or so after the end of the Revolutionary War. Feelings were raw and fear was something the former colonialists had to live with. Furthermore, even if the British never returned, men like Mr. Latta had no idea if the new nation could survive. The American form of government had never been tried before. So it took courage and a belief in something that couldn’t even be seen. It took faith.
In Mr. Latta’s bedroom, there is a faint carving on the room’s wooden mantle. It is the carving of an American eagle, similar to the one here, in black and white. Why on earth would a man hire an artist to carve the eagle on his mantlepiece? Because Mr. Latta was a patriot. He believed in the dream.

PS: If you really want to test youself, try to name the Original Thirteen Colonies. I finally did it, but the last one had me struggling.
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