4th of July, July 4th, Independence Day, FIREWORKS AWAY!
Of all the birthdays, the birthday of our nation is the most widely celebrated birthdays. The birthday of our nation, better known as Independence Day- is held on July 4th. Every year Americans all over the nation hold spectacular celebrations in honor of our countries freedom. It‘s probably the most expensive and lavish of parties to be held where anyone and everyone is invited to join in the fun!
On July 4th, 1776 one famous document was signed by men whose names would some day be in America’s history books. Names like Benjamin Franklin. John Adams and John Hancock would sign one the most important documents in out nation’s history. To this day even John Hancock earned another name for himself. When it’s time to sign on the dotted line, folks still say”Put your John Hancock right here”.
The colonists wanted to break away from any tie with Great Britain. During a convention in Philadelphia on July 2nd a resolution of indolence was presented. The colonists had already been fighting with Great Britain for 14 months and wanted to form their own independence from their allegiance to the crown. The colonist wanted to make their reasons perfectly clear. So they had 33 year old Thomas Jefferson draw up the draft. Thomas Jeffeson was a lawyer and the declaration was compared to that of a 'Lawyer's Brief'. Thomas Jefferson wrote a long list of grievances against King George III. He wanted to abolish taxation without representation, dissolve the House of Representatives, and keep an army on standby at all times. Some of Thomas Jefferson’s writings were incorrect. Taking note of that, remember: he was not a historian, only a lawyer presenting his case. America finally broke free from Great Britain when the document was signed by 56 men on July 4, 1776- John Adams being the first to sign.
These words are probably some of the most powerful words used in court rooms, lawsuits, or simply just etched in our minds. ”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.”
Have we stopped long enough to dissect the meaning of such powerful words? We have the right to live! That t means no one has the right to take our lives-except God. We have the right to be free. Think of all who have suffered and not had that same right. Some men had all of those rights stripped away when they became slaves to the white man. Most of us don’t stop to thin of how much freedom we really have. The Pilgrims left their homes to come to a new world, so they could practice freedom of religion. And lastly, we have the right to pursue our own happiness, however we see fit. Whether we choose a career in teaching or choose to wait tables, we have the right to choose. It’s only been 25 years since the destruction of The Berlin wall. Imagine if Thomas Jefferson hadn’t drafted that plan. Where would our great nation be if Great Britain still ruled over us?
We celebrate Independence day with cookouts, fireworks, and spending time with the ones who mean the most to us. Having lived in several large cities, firework celebrations are some of the most amazing displays of art. The colors and noises ring out through the sky like no other holiday. Fireworks are also the cause of many accidents and injuries throughout the U.S. each year. Be careful.
No sooner had I added to this warning on this website about fireworks being dangerous, I find an article on CNN about a man blowing his arm off with them.
Eric Smith, 36, was using a three-foot-long metal tube to shoot mortars near his Islip Terrace home on Saturday evening. One of the explosives shot out and struck him in the left arm, taking it off. A new study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that nearly 9,000 people were taken to the emergency room and two people died in 2009 from fireworks-related incidents. Of them, nearly 6,000 of the injuries took place during the 30 days surrounding last year's 4th of July holiday -- and many resulted in the loss of a limb.
The birth of our nation was only the beginning to a new found freedom. A freedom that would be handed down from our ancestors, allowing us to live, be free, and Pursue our dreams!