July 4th, 2020
It is the fourth of July.
A day we usually
Fill with joy:
Fireworks, parades and games
Its names:
Fourth of July:
Independence Day.
United, free;
No more a colony;
A formal declaration
Made of five brave men
And Thomas Jefferson,
Making history, and
The beginnings of a USA.
So, Americans,
My dear, dear Swedish friends
And any there may be elsewhere,
Let us wear the day
In camaraderie and play.
Most all in harmony.
Happy, Happy 4th July! 
On 11 June 11 1776, the Continental Congress, the ad hoc governing body for the Americans engaged in revolution against the UK, appointed a Committee of Five to draft a declaration of independence. It consisted of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. The committee discussed the general outline which the document should follow. Jefferson thought that Adams should write the document, but Adams persuaded the committee to choose Jefferson and promised to consult with him personally. After the 1st draft Jefferson consulted the others, and Adams and Franklin suggested some small changes, which Jefferson incorporated. The committee presented this copy to the Congress on 28 June 28 1776 as "A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled." Congress spent 2 days methodically editing the document, removing unnecessary wording, improving sentence structure, and shortening it by a about 1/4. In particular, it removed Jefferson's assertion that the UK had forced slavery on the colonies. After pursuing various parliamentary procedures Congress adopted the revised document on 2 July, and the next day Adams wrote to his wife predicting that July 2 would "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, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." on 4 July, Congress announced that the act was formalized. About 34 delegates signed on that day, and others later -- most on 2 August, though some not until much later. The Congress did not note the 2 July anniversary until the day had passed, and then decided to commemorate national independence on 4 July.
ReplyDeletecome a great American holiday, ote for independence would be commemorated; he did not foresee that Americans would instead celebrate Independence Day on the date when the announcement of that act was finalized.[79]