Saturday, July 2, 2011



Did you know that legal separation  of the 13 colonies from Brittan happened on July 2, 1776?



"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."
~John Adams 
(in a letter to his wife, Abigail)


He was off by two days... the new Americans decided to use the date that
the Declaration of Independence was dated.

Isn't that interesting?

Here's another interesting fact...
Most historians believe that while it was dated July 4,1776
that it was actually signed on August 2,1776...
Which was the date that Congress actually 
adopted it.

Gee... Congress bickering over an issue for two months...
I guess some things haven't changed that much.
=;D

And here's another interesting related tid bit...
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson...
the only two signers of our great Declaration
to become Presidents
both died on 
July 4,1826
which was the 50th anniversary 
of the date on our Declaration of Independence's official date.

The actual war for our independence began in 1775
and lasted through 1783.
Once we were established as an independent country,
wars over territories and land continued.
One such battle...
The Battle for New Orleans
was begun by the British invasion there in an attempt to take from the young Americans the lands we gained through the Louisiana Purchase.

I heard this song as a kid and loved it for its humor.
But I think it also shows 
our forefathers for what they were...
common people; shop owners, farmers, tradesmen, etc.
who did not always have the fancy dress uniforms
and did not always follow the regulation rules of war of that time...
Who through their creativity, savvy and determination
proved that we would stand up for our rights
and stand on our own.


Okay... its not the 4th of July yet,
but it is the 2nd of July,
which should be remembered as the day our delcaration
of independence was legally established.


You gotta love history!


We will be barbecuing this 4th...
Did you expect us to do anything else?
Friends who often don't show up when they say they will
are supposed to come by.
So we'll see about that.
But with them or by ourselves,
we will drag our lawn chairs to the end of the driveway...
and watch all the fireworks go off up and down the street.
Roxy hates loud bangs
(She's from east LA)
So she'll be in the living room listening to 
the stereo cranked on high.
Whatever you do... enjoy!

10 comments:

  1. I wonder if John Adams imagined that we'd be celebrating the day a few days later and by blowing stuff up, getting attacked by mosqitoes and eating things from the barbecue? Hey, whatever works, right? :)

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  2. Tara- Probably not. But I think he might get the beer and food part right! All of that works for me.

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  3. Heh, heh. I had that Johnny Horton album... the one with North To Alaska on it also. Forget the title. Remember hearing that one on the radio on my little white transistor, that only got AM, but that didn't matter 'cos you could still listen to music on AM back then.

    My older has been fascinated with the War of 1812 lately. And he doesn't read kid's books. I've read a few that he's brought home from the lib, just 'cos they looked interesting.

    The Battle of New Orleans is a fascinating story, full of weird little twists and turns, shrewd tactics, missed opportunities, and plain ol' good luck. Fought after the war officially ended, of course, but what can ya do?

    Happy Fourth to you and yours, my friend.

    Word veri: calipope. A righteous dude?

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  4. p.s. funny historical tidbit: The mythology has George Washington making some grand speech while crossing the Delaware... freedom and liberty and all that.

    According to the journals of Henry Knox, who was in the boat with him, he was silent the whole time, thinking, and said only one thing:

    Shift that fat ass of yours Henry, but do it slowly or you'll swamp the damned boat.

    I know which story I believe.

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  5. Cricket- Ha! I used to have a transistor radio dangling from my stingray handle bars back in the days of Jan and Dean, pedal pushers and deck shoes. :)
    Your oldest is one smart guy! He needs brain food beyond Max and Ruby (which I love). Feed him well.
    I think that history is full of great tales and that part of our history was full of creative ah... choices.
    Happy 4th to you too friend!

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  6. Cricket- Re: PS- That's exactly the type of stories that I love. Historical paintings often have so much ridiculous grand faloon qualities!
    Here is the great general! In our stories we leave out that military men swear and bluster and aren't always saying profound statements. I find it much more believable that he was normal enough to say things like that. Great story!

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  7. Nice info! We have our stories and our traditions...and we have our facts. And seldom the twain shall meet!
    Have a great 4th :-)

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  9. Sir ackent- Glad I had something interesting for you that you found useful. Welcome to the silly rabbit's hole! Its always great to see new faces. =:]

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