Friday, July 3, 2009
www.lbknews.com
Happy
Or July 2nd?
For those of you ponder the roots of
our July 4th holiday, here’s a re-lesson
in the history of the July 4th holiday.
During the American Revolution,
the legal separation of the American
colonies from Great Britain occurred
on July 2, 1776, when the Second
Continental Congress voted to approve
a resolution of independence that had
been proposed in June by Richard
Henry Lee of Virginia.[4] After voting
for independence, Congress turned
its attention to the Declaration of
Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been
prepared by a Committee of Five,
with Thomas Jefferson as its principal
author. Congress debated and revised
the Declaration, finally approving it on
July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had
written to his wife Abigail:
“The second day of July, 1776, will
be the most memorable epoch 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 shows, games, sports,
guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations,
from one end of this continent to the
other, from this time forward forever
more.”
Adams’ prediction was off by two
days. From the outset, Americans cel-
ebrated independence on July 4, the
date shown on the much-publicized
Declaration of Independence, rather than
on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.
One of the most enduring myths about
Independence Day is that Congress signed
the Declaration of Independence on July
4, 1776. The myth had become so firmly
established that, decades after the event
and nearing the end of their lives, even
the elderly Thomas Jefferson and John
Adams had come to believe that they
and the other delegates had signed the
Declaration on the fourth. Most delegates
actually signed the Declaration on August
2, 1776. In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas
Jefferson, two founding fathers of the
United States and the only two men who
signed the Declaration of Independence
to become president, died on the same
day: July 4, 1826, which was the United
States’ 50th anniversary. President James
Monroe died exactly five years later, on
July 4, 1831, but he was not a signatory to
the Declaration of Independence.
Page 7
Independence
Day
As you gather with family and friends to
celebrate the 4th of July, join me in thanking
those who have fought to defend our nation
and preserve our independence. Also honor
the men and women, and their families, who
are serving in our armed forces today,
especially those stationed overseas.
“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and
so it must be daily earned and refreshed—else like a flower
cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday!
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Notable Observance
LIDO HARBOUR TOWERS
Held since 1785, the Bristol Fourth of
July Parade in Bristol, Rhode Island is the
oldest continuous Independence Day
celebration in the United States.
Since 1912, the Rebild Society, a
Danish-American friendship organization, has held a July 4th weekend festival that serves as a homecoming for
Danish-Americans in the Rebild section
of Denmark.
Since 1916, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating
Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New
York City supposedly started as a way to
settle a dispute among four immigrants
as to who was the most patriotic.
In 1781, the Massachusetts General
Court became the first state legislature to
recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North
Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with
a challenging music program assembled
by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was
titled “The Psalm of Joy”.
In 1791, the first recorded use of the
name “Independence Day” occurred.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress made
Independence Day an unpaid holiday for
federal employees.
In
1938,
Congress
changed
Independence Day to a paid federal
holiday.
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balING
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SALE
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MARINA BAY
WINNER
OF THE
PULITZER
PRIZE
Follow the thought-provoking and emotional journey of a brilliant English
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JULY 9, 10 & 11 - 8 PM • JULY 12 - 2 PM
Tickets: $18 Adults, $12 Students
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www.theplayers.org
Longboat Key Manatee River News
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