Happy 4th of July

Or was it?

Or was it really 230 years and 2 days ago that the USA was born?

What’s so damn special about the 4th of July anyway?

The 4th of July was the day that Thomas Jefferson brought his draft of the Declaration of Independence to the 2nd Continental Congress.  On that day it was signed by two members of the congress, John Hancock (President of the Congress) and Charles Thompson (Secratary of the Congress).  On July 8, 1776 the Declaration was read publicly on the steps of Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell was rung.

So yes, July 4, 1776 was a big day… but was it bigger than July 8th?  And for that matter, if the Declaration was presented to Congress on July 4th, when was the decision to actually declare independence made?

The answer to that is July 2, 1776.  That was the day that the actual vote to Declare Independence from Great Britain was made.  Each of the 13 colonies had a vote, and the final results were 12 votes in favor of independence and 0 votes against, with only the pussies from New York abstaining.  After the vote was completed a committee was made to put the declaration into writing.  The committee members were John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R Livingston and Roger Sherman.  Of course, as every Amercian kid knows, Thomas Jefferson did the actual writing.

So I ask the question again, why do we celebrate Independence Day on the 4th instead of the 2nd?  Clearly the moment the Colonies became Independent from Britain was the 2nd of July.

It seems I’m not the only one who asks this question.  It seems that John Adams agreed with me!  John Adams the 2nd President of the United States, the 1st Vice President of the United States, the father of the 6th President of the United States, a member of the Continental Congress, a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Allow me to quote a letter written by John Adams dated July 3, 1776:

“But the Day is past.  The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most
memorable Epocha, 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 Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells,
Bonfire, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other
from this Time forward forever more.”

We can forgive President Adams for not mentioning Fireworks… although I suppose Guns + Bonfires = Explosions, and that’s close enough for me.

So take today off from work, have a cookout, spend time with family and good friends, celebrate the birth of your nation, and then go watch fireworks until your eyes water and your ears ring…

but next year…

Next year do it all on July 2nd too.  If your boss gives you shit for taking the day off on the 2nd and the 4th just tell him President Adams said it was okay.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams
http://www.universalway.org/johnadams.html (I got the quote here)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1165216/posts