This is a summary of Philip Freneau's poem "American Liberty." The poet begins by remarking that the country is at war (the Revolutionary War), a fact which must stir the emotions of Americans both to sorrow and to patriotic fervor. He asks God to send strength and courage to his countrymen and to save them from fear and cowardice.

The poet remarks that Massachusetts has been sorely oppressed, Boston in particular. He recalls the hardships suffered by the first British immigrants who arrived in the New World and found harsh terrain and (supposedly) cruel Native people awaiting them. He wonders how any British soldier could now have the heart to fight against the descendants of these pioneers and condemns the "pensioned fools of slavery" who treacherously write against the American cause.

What madness, the poet asks, could have seized the minds of the king of England and the governor of Massachusetts, General Gage? He contrasts Gage with the American commander, George Washington, whom he compares with a Roman hero or a Greek god. He also praises the Continental Congress in its bold defense of freedom. The poem ends on a triumphal note, affirming the determination of Americans to win their freedom and looking forward to their future flourishing.