Independance Day

Each year on July 4th American’s celebrate the country’s independence from Great Britain and the tyranny of King George III. Fireworks and barbeques litter the landscape as people scream and shout in honor of our forefathers who were willing to stand up for what they felt was right. What a majority of these revelers do not realize is that July 4, 1776 is not actually completely accurate. The truth is that the call for independence began in June of 1776 and the architects of the Declaration of Independence (John Adams and Thomas Jefferson) felt that the true day to celebrate was July 2^nd.

On June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee of Virginia stood before the other delegates of the Continental Congress and stated “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."

On July 1, 1776 Lee’s resolution was adopted and on July 2^nd five men began the frame work for the declaration with Thomas Jefferson writing it and John Adams and Benjamin Franklin working with him to decide the revisions. The Declaration of Independence was completed on July 4^th , the document required all 13 Colonies to approve it before it could be issued and only 12 Colonies approved it that day. New York did not officially approve the declaration until July 9^th. The July 4^th Declaration of Independence was only signed by 2 men, John Hancock, Congress President, and Charles Thomson, Congress Secretary.

The Declaration of Independence was not signed by the 56 delegates until August 2, 1776 with a few politicians actually refusing to sign in hopes of reconciling with Great Britain. It was Philadelphia that held a commemoration ceremony on July 4, 1777 that started this as the date of independence but as you can see there are a number of dates that can be accepted, June 7^th for Lee’s resolution, July 1^st for the day the resolution was approved, July 2^nd for the day that the Declaration of Independence was begun, July 4^th for the day that it was submitted to Congress and signed by Hancock and Thomson, July 9^th for the day that all 13 Colonies approved the document or even August 2^nd for the day that the final delegates signed thus making it official.

No matter how you look at it, were it not for the unity of 13 colonies standing up for their right to refuse taxation without representation we would not be able to celebrate their sacrifices 236 years later and for that we should thank them.