Dear [NAME],
I just want to stop a
minute and wish you a good July 4th! I
hope your day includes a noisy parade and noisier 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 fireworks, 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!
Sincerely,
[NAME][TITLE]
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