How about a little "This day in history?"
1776: The Declaration of Independence is approved by the Second Continental Congress, and signed by a few members.
1826: Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, former presidents, die on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
1831: James Monore, an anti-federalist who created the "Monroe Doctrine," died, becoming the third president in a row to do so.
1872: Just shy of the Centennial, Calvin Coolidge, 30th President (and one of the best) was born.
However, if I want to be nit-picky (and I do), July 2 is when we officially declared independence from Great Britain. You see, that's when Congress voted in favor of the Lee Resolution, which proposed that we declare independence and break away completely from Britain. The document that would be signed by Congress was completed on July 4, and (possibly) signed by at least four members: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock. The remainder of the signatures would be added by August 2.
The most well known and often quoted line is "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." And despite the insanity going on in our great nation, this core truth of America remains. Have we strayed from what the Founding Fathers' intended? Undeniable yes. But we, as a nation, have not failed.
We just need to remember where we came from. Our history, which is not yet long, is worth remembering. Few know the reasons why the Revolutionary War started, or what Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation meant. We are ashamed of our recent history. We teach our children that America is not exceptional (which it is). The idea of the "melting pot" is rejected, despite all the evidence to prove it is true. The buzzwords are "political correctness," "democracy," and "social justice." People are made to believe that our great nation is a "democracy." We are not, thank God; we are a republic. And because we are a republic, where the Constitution is the basis of our laws, I can thank God. The Founders were wise men, creating a government were the key document has built-in flexibility, allowing the people (or their elected representatives) to made updates or adjustments.
We still are a great nation, in fact I believe we may be the greatest nation on Earth. Just look at how we throw a birthday party. Some are quite simple, while others are big affairs. The celebration in "Nebraska's Fourth of July City," Seward, is particularly noteworthy. I've lived with my family in this town of 6,000-some for six years now, and every Fourth of July is incredible. Overnight, the population booms to close to 40,000. This morning the boys and I walked down town to check out the crowd. No doubt in my mind that at least 8,000 were in the square alone. There were probably three dozen tents set up as small craft shops. Fifty cars were parked on main street, ranging from new muscle cars to classics. There was even a 1907 Ford. Not to mention the food vendors, most especially the barbecue. Probably the most fun, and in my mind the best example of why we are the greatest nation, was the game of tug-of-war we watched. Two teams of three firemen lined up, each with a fire hose. The goal: push a suspended patriotic painted barrel down a zip line. Simple, if wet, fun. Later tonight will be the fireworks, which are always impressive. Don't believe me? Check out the website for the event: http://www.julyfourthseward.com/.
So yeah, some patriotic rambling for you Independence Day reading.
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