On July 4th 1776 the very first United States Congress declared independence from England.
We were British subjects and we fought our own government. We won our freedom from an overbearing government that robbed individuals of the right to speech, self-defense and personal property. Now we enjoy the freedoms our fore father fought for and preserved with the Constitution.
A few facts about the Declaration of Independence.
- 56 men signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776.
- All 56 men put their lives on the line and were persecuted by the British. Five were captured and tortured before they died.
- All thirteen Colonies were represented in Congress.
- Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration in 17 days.
- It is said that John Hancock wrote his signature large so that the King of England could see it.
- Today one of the 26 known original copies of the Declaration is worth 250 million dollars.
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.
That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed.
That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends,
it is the Right of the People to alter or
to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and
organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their
Safety and Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence of the
Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen
United States of America
Have a great Independence Day.
Sheila
P.S. See what my OtGF friends have to say. Kathy and Shelly.
P.S.S. Let’s hope that the people of Iran hold firm and gain their independence also.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a very good independence day post. It would be good if Iranian people gain their own independence. It would be good if people like me (queer) in this country were believed to be:
“created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Have a lovely and safe weekend!
Peace.
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If you have a chance, see the “John Adams” series by HBO. Great!
Getting all the colonies to agree to declare independence was a long struggle. I believe, if it hadn’t been for John Adams’ perseverance, we would not have the document today. He was the “Voice” and Thomas Jefferson was the skilled “Writer.”
Both died on July 4th… on the 50th anniversary of the signing.
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A lot of the founding fathers were essential to the forming of the U.S.A. Take out John Adams, George Washington, Ben Franklin, or any number of them, and history could have turned out MUCH differently.
I find it interesting to know that France pretty much made the revolution possible with their sponsorship, and yet the average American now holds a low opinion of France.
So yeah, when you go out today and celebrate “Firework Day”, try to stop and think about our founding fathers, and what they might think of our modern day government.
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Great post, Sheila. The history of our country is so interesting! We forget that we enjoy so many blessings because of our forefathers’ sacrifices. We still have the greatest government on the planet!
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I have a copy of The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. Can anyone tell me how to get its value, and who buys them? Thanks.
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sheila Reply:
August 14th, 2009 at 8:58 am
Try Googling it. I found lots of data on value.
Sheila
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