Fun on the 4th - Independence Day is for Grown Ups too!
I just want to stop a minute and wish you a good July 4th! I hope your day includes a fun parade and fabulous fireworks. I think once in a while we just need to cast aside our dull, grown-up personas and cut loose with our crazy kid personas! So get out there and waste your allowance on fun, get a little BBQ on your chin, get in the watermelon seed spitting contest, and put on that silly Uncle Sam hat.
In the spirit of the day, I did a little checking about the history of Independence Day. Guess what? They didn't tell us the whole story in grade school! In case you're interested, read on to find out what I discovered:
The original resolution (to cut the apron strings from Mother Britain) was introduced to the Continental Congress on June 17, 1776.
Then Thomas Jefferson and a willing committee put their heads together to polish up a formal writing for the grand announcement.
The actual resolution was approved on July 2 but the Declaration of Independence (a separate document) was adopted on July 4, 1776.
It took days, weeks, and in one case, years before all the signatures on the Declaration were in place. Thomas McKean didn't get his signature on the page until 1781!
Exactly one year after the Declaration was approved, Philadelphia held a huge birthday party for the infant republic. But the first official (by legislative act) celebration was held in 1781 in Massachusetts.
OK, friends, class is over. Eat, drink, and be merry! Independence is worth celebrating!