In fact, America’s real Independence Day is on July 2, the day when Congress put the vote for Independence. Everyone can get excited about a four-day weekend.
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Two days after voting for independence, Congress formally approved Thomas Jefferson’s draft Declaration of Independence as an explanation for the decision to break with Britain.
“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”.
2011 – For the first time, men and women compete separately. They were surely inspired by the sight of the Statue of Liberty as they arrived at Ellis Island and set foot on American soil. In truth, the people who signed it did not put pen to paper until about a month later due to various reasons, including NY waiting for authorization to vote for independence and the Declaration of Independence itself taking an additional two weeks to be written clearly on parchment, making it “engrossed”.
Among the 27 grievances Jefferson details are Britain stationing a large number of armed troops in the colonies, cutting off their trade to the rest of the world, imposing taxes without their consent and suspending local legislatures.
On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife, telling her that the day before, July 2, would go down as one of the most memorable and celebrated dates in American history. The lone bright spot of the 1776 campaign would be General Washington’s bold Christmas crossing of the Delaware River and the defeat of the Hessians in Trenton.
Next week marks the 240th anniversary of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, which for Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon carries some personal significiance. I wish everyone a happy Independence Day, and may God bless you, and, as always, may God bless America.
“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed”, the declaration states.
But the promises of the document, of the Fourth of July, of the American ideal remain. Douglass asked the audience.
Most of all, however, Independence Day is a time to celebrate the successes and steps forward the USA has made from 1776 to 2016.
Still, I would agree that Adams knew what he was talking about when he said that Independence Day ought to be commemorated. There is still reason to celebrate.
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These celebrations are possible because many individuals believed our freedom was more important than their lives. “Now, that is a dream worth celebrating – with fireworks”.
