Happy 4th of July

[Buzz_Lightyear]

Happy 4th of July to everybody here in the US!!!

[Gasduude]

It’s just getting dark here, show will be starting in about a half an hour…neighbors have some of their own, however. Pretty big ones too!

[Sky]

Happy Fourth of July, you Americans!

[Gasduude]

Fireworks were pretty good this year - a huge grand finale!

[JesusFreak]

Hope everyone had a good 4th! This was the first time I spent the 4th doing absolutely nothing the whole day…no fireworks, no sparklers, no parade…Meh. I can wait another year.

[Gasduude]

JF - Yup! It was a pretty good Fourth for me!

That’s too bad…not even any fireworks?

[JesusFreak]

Well, if there were fireworks (I’m guessing there were), I didn’t see or hear them.

[The_Star_Swordsman]

There were fireworks in my area about two sundays ago. BUt for this year’s Fourth of July, my family and I just had a barbeque, played sports, and stuff.

[Bill]

Mine went very well. I went and bought The Art of Ratatouille , saw the movie for a second time, grilled some burgers, and watched fireworks on television. Talk about an enjoyable 4th.

[Pixar_Lover]

Mine was a happy and great one. Happy late 4th of July!! And the fireworks were awesome!!

[Dash]

Happy belated Fourth!

I would’ve posted yesterday but I was busy celebrating.

July 4th is a celebration of independence for America and really liberty and democracy throughout the world as we know it today. It is on this day in 1776 that news broke in Philadelphia that the Continental Congress had declared the independence of the 13 colonies from Great Brittain and that we would no longer be subject to English rule. On July 2nd, the Congress officially voted for independence and the edited draft of Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was voted to be adopted two days later on July 4th. You know this as the Declaration of Independence which was ultimately printed, and signed by Congressional President John Hancock (the guy with the famous signature) that day; and was later signed by every member of the Congress (one of which I am proud to call a relative) and sent to the King of England. This was a big risk because they knew if the Revolution failed they were all guilty of treason - a crime pubishable by hanging. They believed the reward of victory was well worth it though. The Declaration is printed below.

@Declaration of Independence

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. 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. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

As for our celebration and the use of fireworks, parades, concerts, games, etc., much of that can be traced to another of the founding fathers. The champion of independence in the Congress was John Adams of Boston, Massachusettes. He, along with his ally, Philadelphia native Dr. Benjamin Franklin, pushed hard for the declaration and were frequently ridiculed. It wasn’t until Richard Henry Lee of Virginia convinced that state’s legislature to support the cause that the southern states were brought on board and Adams’ proposition for independence was finally heard. A comittee consisting of Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Ralph Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut was selected to draft the resolution and Jefferson was chosen to write it. It took him more than a month as he went through multiple drafts and Adams and Franklin got so desperate that they rode his wife Martha in from Virginia to ease his mind and inspire him. It worked. The Congress was so moved by the Declaration that it was quickly adopted afterwards.

Adams frequently wrote his wife Abigail back in Boston and most of their correspondances still survive. In an exerpt from a letter dated July 4, 1776 we find the blueprints for future celebrations.

@John Adams

But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

Of course he notes the day they secretly voted for independence - the 2nd - while we celebrate it on the day they adopted the declaration - the 4th. So in some ways it should be a week long - and really even a month long event. So this kind of gives you an idea of how it all came to be.

I think most everyone know Franklin, and Jefferson of course as the nation’s third President but Adams was our nation’s second President and the father of John Quincy Adams, our sixth President. George Washington, the Father of the Country and first President is omitted from these events because he is commanding the Continental Army against British troops at this time. He will become more important later on during the writing of the Constitution and of course was obvious choice for Commander-in-Chief which is a primary function of the Chief Executive. He was actually offered the kingship but refused it saying we’d fought too hard to get away from the monarchy to start a new one and not enter a democracy. Amazingly though - despite our diferences then - we are now best friends with Britain today.

Beautiful story isn’t it???

[The_Star_Swordsman]

Yay! It is US history all over again! And not to mention National treasure all over again as well. Thanks Dash.

Random Independence Day fact: Two my my teachers at school are related to two of the signers of the Decloration of Independence.

[DElf4242]

I was lucky enough to be in D.C. for the 4th. I was unlucky enough to have the fireworks partially obscured by a tree, lightpost, and building, but it’s all good. It was spectacular nonetheless!

Dash: Very enjoyable summary! Which is very high praise coming from someone who lists history as his least favorite class by a mile. Who’re you related to? I’m a proud relative, in some slightly-removed way, of Thomas Jefferson, and a direct descendant of the ubiquitous Harrison clan.

[Dash]

DElf - Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland. At one time he was the richest man in the country - too bad I didn’t get any of that though that’s most likely because my family decends from Daniel Carroll, his cousin, who signed the Constitution. Their other cousin, Cardinal John Carroll, was the first Bishop of America in the Arch-Diocese of Baltimore. He was also the only Catholic signer, the longest living signer, and of course, the one featured in National Treasure. Of course, that’s the one faux pas; as a Catholic he couldn’t have been a Free Mason as was asumed by the movie. But it’s a good story no less and one of my favorites.

Legend has it that when Charles Carroll signed the Declaration that he put only his first and last name. When he sat down his colleagues joked that he was putting nothing on the line since there were so many Charles Carrolls that King George wouldn’t know which one to hang. Carroll then got up, went back to the Declaration and added “of Carrollton” to specify without a doubt who had signed it. His is the only name to appear with any additional information to clarify who he was.

[BandGeek727]

@Dash

Beautiful story isn’t it???

It truly is, Dash!
And what a cool story about Charles Carroll! I didn’t know that!

Dash and DElf - that’s so awesome, that you two are related to the founding fathers!

I actually didn’t do anything for the Fourth of July. …Exciting, I know.

[Mitch]

Dash - Beautiful. Simply magnificent… I used to absolutely despise history; I couldn’t stand it. After a time, I finally forced myself to enjoy the subject, and now I can appreciate good articles such as that! (snigger)

Very nice compilation, Dash. Thanks for posting up the entire story for everyone to view. Quite lovely.

BandGeek - Well, at least you got to relax!

---

Heh. Come to think of it, my mom mentioned that I’m related to a man who was a courier for George Washington. Pretty cool, actually.

[The_Star_Swordsman]

Did you do anything special on your 4th of July day Mitch?

[lizardgirl]

Dash- Wow, you definitely know your stuff! It’s good that people can remember the meaning behind the celebration, rather than just celebrating for the sake of it and enjoying all the material things that come with it.

[Mitch]

The Star Swordsman - As a matter of fact, I did. I went to see Ratatouille for the seventh time!

@lizardgirl

It’s good that people can remember the meaning behind the celebration, rather than just celebrating for the sake of it and enjoying all the material things that come with it.

Amen to that!

[The_Star_Swordsman]

Wow, seems like you had fun. A lot of people I knew went to watch movies on that day.