By Pam Allen, founder and president of Alta Pro Insurance Services

As we celebrate American Independence Day on July 4th, most of us don’t realize that the Revolutionary War was America’s first civil war.

The American colonists divided into two camps, the Loyalists and the Patriots.  Families divided; brothers fought against brothers, sons against fathers. Benjamin Franklin, one of our Founding Fathers, became estranged from his son, William, who fought against the Patriots and remained a Loyalist to the end.

Independence Day reminds me of the freedoms we inherited from those American Patriots who sacrificed their blood and treasure to gain independence.

John Adams wrote to his beloved wife, Abigail, “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.”

In these current times, we can learn much from our history.

We at Alta Pro wish you all a happy, healthy, and safe Independence Day Holiday with your family and friends.