This Independence Day, as Americans emerge from a long pandemic-infused year and a tumultuous transition of power and venture forth, it is a good time to look back and reflect on what this day means.
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.
So reads the well-known first sentence of the second paragraph of Declaration of Independence, officially adopted by Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It is, of course, the reason we celebrate Independence Day on July 4 each year.
For most of us, the holiday celebration takes the form of family gatherings, fireworks and food. Soaked in sun and cloaked in fun, we do not give much thought to the extraordinary document that officially set our nation on its path to independence.
A deeper understanding of the Declaration would make today's celebration less a superficial occasion for patriotic merriment and more a reckoning of whether we have adhered to the principles set forth in the document drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
Point by point, the Declaration lays out more than two dozen grievances against King George III. These selected complaints demonstrate the colonists' discontent with the monarch's interference in local government, the presence of British troops, constriction of trade and the oft-cited taxation without representation.
Colonial disenchantment with British rule had already boiled over into war more than a year before the Declaration was adopted. But the document distilled the collective will of the colonists, as well as their objectives, laying the philosophical and political groundwork for the revolution.
While certainly none of the 56 men who signed the Declaration had in mind July 4 pool parties, cookouts and fireworks shows, they would no doubt be delighted to know that the country they conceived still celebrates Independence Day - and still holds high the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Since Continental Congress adopted Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July has been observed as a day for Americans to stand in unity and in recognition of our nation's founding. On this day, 245 years ago, exemplary visionaries dared to create a unique form of government. Our Founding Fathers established what President Ronald Reagan described as "the shining city on a hill," because, despite the imperfections of man that exist in our history, America became a beacon of hope for the world, and since the nation's inception has stood steadfast in pursuit of the ideals of liberty and justice for all.
Throughout our past, America has faced trials and tribulations. We have continually confronted the evils domestically and abroad. Our nation produced the greatest generation, heroes who answered the call during World War II, storming the beaches and liberating those suffering abroad. We have even put men on the moon. America's history is full of triumphs and tragedies. I believe the story of America is the greatest ever told, and our country's founder's grand experiment of a government of, by, and for the people is the greatest endeavor on which humankind has ever embarked.
We forget the tremendous risk the signers of Declaration of Independence took for freedom. The British captured five of the founders who signed it. They were tortured before they died. The homes of twelve others were destroyed and burned to the ground. Some lost children in the war to both death and capture. The death of nine of the 56 founders was the result of battle, some succumbing to wounds. The Founding Fathers consisted of jurists and lawyers (25), farmers (9), and merchants (11). They could have lived a life of ease and comfort but chose to risk it all for the cause of freedom.
Our celebrations this Independence Day will feel especially important given the unprecedented experiences of the last year and a half. We have an opportunity to reflect on our country's past and to take pride in its enduring principles. Fourth of July marks the first time that all men were declared equal. Despite race or nationality, religion, or political affiliation - we are all born with God-given rights. Declaration of Independence is still known as one of the most inspiring documents ever written. "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." Beginning as America's foundation for freedom, these powerful words are the blueprint of the United States of America.
Our nation was founded on a simple principle: "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." In the years leading up to the colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain, the creed was "Unite, or Die." The importance of our unity has held true throughout our nation's existence. We are a nation that celebrates our differences; we do not persecute them. These values must remain at heart as we navigate today's political discourse.
Just as we remember the history of our Founding Fathers, our nation's past, and the cherished principles of the American way of life, we must honor the brave men and women fighting at home and around the world to preserve them. Civil and international wars have been fought so that all people might live freely. Countless Americans have served on and off the battlefield so that we can enjoy the rights we often take for granted.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and all of the challenges it caused, I believe this Fourth of July will be most extraordinary. Perhaps more than any other time in our lives, we appreciate the liberties and opportunities America provides. We are one nation and one people, under God, and unitedly we will continue to make our Founding Fathers' declaration that took place many years ago a reality today.
Here are five facts every American should know about America’s founding document and the day set aside for its commemoration.
July 4 is the day we celebrate Independence Day even though it was not the day Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776), the day we started the American Revolution (that had happened back in April 1775), the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that did not happen until November 1776), or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776).
After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to come apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. Celebrations of Fourth of July became more common as the years went on and in 1870, almost 100 years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Further legislation about national holidays, including July 4, was passed in 1938 and 1941. The signed copy of the Declaration is the official, but not the original, document. The approved Declaration was printed on July 5 and a copy was attached to the “rough journal of the Continental Congress for July 4.” These printed copies, bearing only the names of John Hancock, President, and Charles Thomson, secretary, were distributed to state assemblies, conventions, committees of safety, and commanding officers of the Continental troops. On July 19, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America,” and “that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.” Engrossing is the process of copying an official document in a large hand.
John Hancock, President of Continental Congress at the time, was the first and only person to sign the Declaration on July 4, 1776 (he signed it in the presence of just one man, Charles Thomson, the secretary of Congress). According to legend, the founding father signed his name bigger than everyone else’s because he wanted to make sure “fat old King George” could read it without his spectacles. But the truth is that Hancock had a large blank space and did not realize the other men would write their names smaller. Today, the term “John Hancock” has become synonymous with a person’s signature.
The 56 signers of the Declaration did not sign on July 4, 1776, nor were they in the same room at the same time on the original Independence Day. The official signing event took place on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed the document. Several months passed before all 56 signatures were in place. The last man to sign, Thomas McKean, did so in January of 1777, seven months after the document was approved by Congress. Robert R. Livingston, one of the five original drafters, never signed it at all since he believed it was too soon to declare independence.
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