In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

The ships probably looked something like this, minus the flag. The United States didn’t exist yet.

In search of a new trade route to India, Columbus stumbled upon one of the greatest discoveries of humanity. The Americas.

In a sense, many unintentional innovations are produced by the constant pursuit and dedication to a field or thought. You need look no further than Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, or Leonardo da Vinci. With all great masters, you’ll find a common denominator. An inner voice — almost divine, calling them to pursue their obsession deeper and deeper. Coal pressed by time, a diamond revealed.

The application of Bitcoin on the Blockchain was a similar revelation. Until that point, the early crypto world was made up of cypherpunks who shared a passion in cryptography. They would meet to discuss the future of the internet, pseudonymous reputation systems and digital cash. They even declared The Cypherpunk’s Manifesto:

“Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn’t want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn’t want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world.”

Then in 2008, an individual who went by the alias Satoshi Nakamoto produced the now famous whitepaper. Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system. “A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.” There was no putting this genie back in its bottle.

If Bitcoin and the Blockchain in 2008 are the discovery of the “new world” in 1492, than 2018’s crypto enthusiasts are the pilgrims who landed in America on the Mayflower. The year was 1620.

The America’s presented a new opportunity for those facing religious persecution in the “old world”. A new land where they could pray and practice their religious freedoms how they chose. Though there were many pitfalls of the voyage, the risk-takers of them decided to set sail to the new world.

It wasn’t until July 4th, 1776 that the United States of America was founded and declared its independence from the system of old, 284 years later from Columbus’ discovery. In 2018 with all the political turmoil, individuals still decide to take the leap and move to the “Land of the Free” to adopt a new system for themselves.

Today, those willing to jump into the cryptocurrency world do so understanding (or not) the risks involved. They are very much like those personalities who first traveled on the Mayflower many years ago, driven by the pursuit of religious freedom. It is no wonder those who dive deep into the rabbit hole of blockchain become evangelical in nature.

These crypto-pilgrims will be the ones paving the roads, building the cities, laying the power grids, and discussing the principles that should govern the new distributed financial era.

Right now as you read this, the George Washington’s and Benjamin Franklin’s of the new crypto continents have their heads down and are in the shadows. Perhaps they are not even born yet.

What would Benjamin Franklin think of a decentralized economy?

Founding fathers will begin to surface in the coming years, decades and centuries. When they do, we will have arrived at a true alternative to the old financial system and mass adoption will ensue.

An Independence Day.