The following is adapted from Family Research Council President Tony Perkins’s remarks at the Louisiana Republican Leadership Conference on November 1, 2025.

Here in Louisiana, we don’t wait on Washington to reopen the government. Our state has a history of being a place where faith, hard work, and community keep things running — no matter what’s happening on the Potomac.

From the French explorers who settled along our rivers to the Cajun and Creole families who built our southern culture, Louisiana has never needed permission to persevere.

And as we look toward America’s 250th anniversary, I can’t help but think our nation could use a little more of that Louisiana spirit right now — faith over fear, courage over chaos, and unity over division.

Because what we’re facing today is bigger than a shutdown — it’s a showdown over the soul of our Republic. The question before us is the same one our Founders faced nearly two and a half centuries ago:

Will this nation continue to be governed by the timeless truths that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights?

That’s the foundation of our unity, the key to lasting victory, and the only way to build a legacy that endures.

Renewing the Founding Vision

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, it’s worth returning to the words that ignited our national story — the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I know some on the Left have a difficult time with our nation’s birth certificate — omitting words like Creator and Life when they cite it.

Those 56 men who signed that Declaration didn’t appeal to the government for their rights; they appealed to God. They believed liberty did not begin in Philadelphia — it began in the heart of man, placed there by the hand of the Creator. John Adams declared that the true American Revolution was not the war itself, but the “radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people.”

That’s what we must renew — a revolution of the heart.

For too long, our politics have reflected the divisions of man rather than the unity of faith. If we are to preserve liberty, we must once again anchor our politics in principle, not personalities; in truth, not trends; in the eternal, not the expedient.

Unity: Standing on Common Ground

That brings me to the first pillar of this weekend — unity.

The Founders were not all alike. They argued — fiercely — about everything from taxes to the presidency’s powers. But they shared something deeper: a common moral foundation.

They believed, as George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, that “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”

Our unity as Republicans — and as Americans — will not come from uniformity of opinion, but from a shared allegiance to those indispensable supports.

Louisiana’s history echoes that truth. In the crucible of war, flood, and natural disaster, we’ve always come together — not because government told us to, but because love for our neighbor compelled us to.

The love for God and neighbor must define us again.

We are not merely conservatives of policy — we are conservators of principle. Those principles — life, liberty, and truth — are the bedrock of unity. We must not flag or fail in their defense.

Victory: Beyond the Ballot Box

But unity alone isn’t enough. It must lead somewhere — it must lead to victory.

Victory is a word that stirs the soul. But let’s be honest — winning elections is not enough. We can win at the polls and still lose the culture. We can occupy the offices of power and still forfeit the moral ground that sustains freedom.

Thomas Jefferson asked, “Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed their only firm basis — a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”

If our victories are to endure, they must be anchored in truth and virtue.

That means reclaiming the classroom, the courtroom, and the newsroom — not with anger, but with conviction; not with censorship, but with truth. It means raising up leaders who know that righteousness — not riches — is what exalts a nation.

How can we accomplish such lofty goals? We have an opportunity not only to continue Louisiana’s conservative transformation but also to turn the boot into a solid foundation for conservatism for the nation.

With the most conservative federal court district in the nation — one that has proven willing to protect our constitutional freedoms — Louisiana has an opportunity to lead. Let’s begin recruiting faith-based and conservative organizations committed to our nation’s founding principles to locate their headquarters here. Let’s make Louisiana a haven for the First Amendment — a place where freedom of speech, religion, and conscience are not just protected, but celebrated.

Across the nation, the pattern is clear: the states that make it easiest for citizens to speak freely, organize boldly, and work productively — the states that protect both economic and religious freedom — are the ones adding people, jobs, and income.

If we want real growth in Louisiana, guarding and promoting the First Amendment isn’t just noble — it’s practical.

But this moment calls for more than good policy. We are at a hinge point in American history. The next six years — leading to 2031, when we mark two and a half centuries since our independence—will determine whether America renews her covenant or relinquishes her calling — and that choice starts right here, in states like Louisiana, with leaders like us.

Our victory must be spiritual as well as political, cultural as well as electoral. And Louisiana — our state — can lead the way.

Legacy: Building for Generations

And if we are faithful to those principles, the result will be more than political wins — it will be something lasting. That brings me to the third and final theme — legacy.

Every generation inherits freedom at a price and passes it on at a cost. Patrick Henry said, “It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.”

Our legacy will not be measured by the buildings we erect or the bills we pass, but by the truth we preserve. We are stewards of a heritage that must not be squandered.

In 1828, a young Frenchman named Alexis de Tocqueville came to America, determined to discover why democracy flourished here while it failed in Europe. He traveled through our states — including this very region — and wrote something remarkable: “Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”

De Tocqueville understood that true liberty depends upon virtue, which is the fruit of faith.

Our task is to keep the flame of liberty alive for generations to come. To do that we must keep pulpits aflame with truth, communities strong, families intact, and faith alive. If we fail to do that, no political victory will save us. But if we succeed, no cultural tide can stop us.

A Call to the Future

Two hundred and fifty years ago, 56 men signed their names to a declaration that risked their fortunes, their families, and their very lives.

They didn’t know if they would win, but they knew they were right. And because they were right — and because they were united in purpose — we stand here today as heirs of liberty.

But that inheritance is not automatic. Ronald Reagan reminded us: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

So today, as we look toward America’s 250th birthday, let us commit ourselves anew — not just to a political party, but to a providential purpose.

Let us build unity not through compromise of truth, but through courage of conviction.

Let us seek victory not merely at the ballot box, but in every arena where truth is contested and faith is mocked.

And let us leave a legacy not of shifting slogans but of steadfast strength — rooted in the same faith that gave birth to this Republic.

In the spring of 1775, as war loomed, the Virginia Convention met at St. John’s Church in Richmond. The delegates debated, argued, and hesitated — until one man rose.

Patrick Henry declared, “I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Those words lit the fuse of freedom. But what’s often forgotten is what came next. As Henry sat down, the room fell silent. Then, one by one, the delegates rose to their feet — not because they agreed on every detail, but because they recognized the power of conviction.

That’s what we need again — men and women of conviction. The kind of unity that flows from shared belief. The kind of victory that comes from moral clarity. The kind of legacy that endures because it’s rooted in the eternal.

So today, let us return to the words that launched a nation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Truths that still speak to us today.

Let us remember that our rights come not from government, but from God. That liberty is not license, but stewardship. And that America’s destiny will not be written in Washington, but in the hearts of a people who still believe that righteousness exalts a nation.

If we will renew that faith, reclaim that courage, and restore that unity, then we will not only achieve victory — we will secure a legacy worthy of the 250 years of sacrifice and divine providence that brought us here.

With God’s help, may we make America a nation worthy of His blessing.

Republished from The Washington Stand.