Fourth of July

 July 4th 1776:

  The war against Great Britain has been raging on since April 19th 1775, when shots were fired in Lexington and Concord. This was not a war for independence, it was a war to restore the citizens of the American colonies rights as citizens of Great Britain.

  But on this day in 1776 the Continental Congress held a vote on Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence and the idea 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.”

  The motion was passed and this was now a war for independence.

  Today we celebrate the birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world, but although the founders declared independence on this day in 1776 it still had to be fought for. It wasn’t until Lord Cornwallis surrendered in Yorktown in 1781 that independence was finally won and America was free from British rule.

  Today we celebrate the beginning of our our march toward freedom.

  I have included two videos from the great HBO miniseries John Adams, anybody who loves U.S. history and hasn’t seen this miniseries needs to see it.

  The first video includes John Adams’ speech in favor of independence before the vote takes place, it is spliced with the scene where the Declaration is read.

  The second video is the vote for independence followed by the reading of the Declaration. The second video is how the scene played out in the  miniseries while the first video is two scenes from the miniseries spliced together. I would recommend stopping the first video after John Adams’ speech and then watching the second video.

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!