Happy Independence Day!
How wonderful it is to celebrate 250 years of freedom in the greatest nation on earth!
On July 4th, 1776, the delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia signed the Declaration of Independence. They did so knowing their lives were on the line, but they so firmly believed in the cause of liberty and the rights of the people that they took this courageous step. The thirteen colonies had sent delegates to the Continental Congress and they voted on July 2nd to legally separate from Great Britain. The resolution of independence that was adopted in this vote had been prepared by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. The Declaration of Independence was a statement explaining this decision, and was authored by Thomas Jefferson and other members of the Committee of Five. This statement was debated and revised by the Continental Congress before being approved on July 4th.
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.
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| Independence Hall |
The odds were against the American colonists in the Revolutionary War that followed, but they persevered and freedom was won. In the years that followed, the founding fathers established a representative, republican form of government in a Constitution that upholds the rights of citizens and limits government in order to preserve those rights. It is good and right to honor and celebrate the courage and sacrifice and contributions of all those who played a part in building, preserving, and defending the United States of America; and to pledge ourselves to continuing to make this nation great.
Proclaim LIBERTY throughout the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
The Liberty Bell was originally cast to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Charter of Privileges written by William Penn to ensure freedom in the Pennsylvania colony. When the bell arrived from England it was defective. The Philadelphia business Pass & Stowe melted and recast it twice before it was hung in the tower of the State House in 1753. Tradition holds that the bell was rung on July 8, 1776 after the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, bells were hidden so the British couldn't take and melt them down for ammunition. The Liberty Bell was later returned to the State House and was rung every Fourth of July and for other national celebrations until 1835 when it cracked.
On July 4th in American history:
1801 - the first public Fourth of July reception at the White House, during Jefferson's presidency
1804 - the Corps of Discovery named Independence Creek in honor of the day
1826 - both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died
1827 - New York state emancipated its slaves
1828 - Charles Carroll, the last man living who had signed the Declaration, participated in a ceremony opening the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
1831 - the song "America" was first sung in a Boston celebration of Independence Day
1848 - the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid
1895 - the poem "America the Beautiful" by Katherine Lee Bates was first published in the July 4 issue of a weekly newspaper
1930 - the sculpture of George Washington's face was unveiled at Mount Rushmore
1960 - the fifty star American flag waved for the first time
1975 - President and Mrs Ford participated in Independence Day celebrations at Fort McHenry, where the American flag inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner"
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| The Star-spangled Banner displayed at Fort McHenry. |
1976 - The Bicentennial celebrating two hundred years of American freedom
2009 - the crown of the Statue of Liberty was re-opened to the public
2026 - America celebrates its Semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence
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