36,000 British troops occupied colonies
The British had already placed 36,000 troops in New York and Boston, making the colonial rebellion look nearly impossible to sustain.
Snapshot · The Charlie Kirk Show
Giving Everything on the Altar of Liberty: Charlie at Dream City Church
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Jul 5, 2026
Where this was said
The Impossible Odds: Farmers and Preachers vs. the British Empire
At 6:10 · chapter starts 5:30
To convey just how unlikely the American founding was, Kirk asks the congregation to imagine the world's strongest military power today facing a random colonial territory — that was Britain versus the colonies. With 36,000 troops already occupying New York and Boston, Prussian mercenaries reinforcing the redcoats, and no colonial navy to speak of, the rebellion looked finished. Kirk colorfully invokes modern betting markets, estimating the odds of colonial success at 99.9 to 0.1 against. The colonists were farmers, merchants, and preachers with muskets. Yet they had one advantage, Kirk argues, that the British lacked entirely: faith in God Almighty.
Farmers, Merchants, and Preachers vs. the World's Greatest Empire
The British had 36,000 troops in New York and Boston, a professional navy, and Prussian mercenaries. The colonists had muskets, faith, and each other. Kirk frames this as the most improbable military upset in human history — a ragged coalition of farmers and preachers who had one thing the redcoats lacked: a belief in God Almighty.
Betting odds: 99.9 to 0.1 against colonists
Kirk colorfully argues the odds of colonial success against Britain were like a 99.9 to 0.1 betting line — the most unlikely victory imaginable.
The Great Awakening Made the Revolution Possible
The American Revolution wasn't primarily a political event — it was the overflow of the most successful Christian revival in history. Over ten years before 1776, 25,000 sermons were delivered across the colonies by preachers like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, moving an entire population to repentance and reigniting their faith. You cannot get to liberty without revival, and you cannot get to revival without repentance.
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