American victory at Trenton, Dec. 26, 1776
On the bitterly cold morning of December 26, 1776—a Thursday, BTW—General George Washington led his weary force across the Delaware River to attack German mercenary forces temporarily encamped in Trenton, New Jersey. The courage and commitment of his men, crossing an ice-choked river, walking 9 miles on frozen ground in the bitter cold with many having little clothes, many without shoes (several froze to death on this campaign), and little food, brought victory over the Hessians in a fierce battle. It was a key victory inspiring the American rebels at a time when defeat seemed most likely.
Courage is fundamentally the act of changing ones priorities; making achieving a new goal most important, often at significant personal sacrifice. Commitment is perseverance in achieving this now most important goal—to keep going with the going gets tough.
238 years ago, brave Americans demonstrated courage in battle and commitment to their belief in liberty. All Americans today walk with liberty because of what they did 238 years ago.