This and That about the FOURTH of JULY

Human Statue of Liberty

John Adams, credited by Thomas Jefferson as the unofficial, tireless whip of the independence-minded, wrote his wife Abigail on July 3:

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 shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore.

Adams was off by two days, however. Certainly, the vote on July 2 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date on the Declaration itself. Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was first adopted by the vote of the 4th. It was also the first day Philadelphians heard the official news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.

History of Observance

• In 1777, British officers noted the firing of 13 guns, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white and blue bunting.
• In 1778, General George Washington marked the Fourth with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the sea, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.

• In 1779, the Fourth falls on a Sunday. Starting a long tradition, the holiday is celebrated on Monday, July 5.

• In 1781, Massachusetts was the first legislature to recognize Independence Day.

• In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4 an unpaid holiday for federal employees

Customs

Independence Day, as the only holiday celebrating the country as a whole, is a national holiday marked by patriotic displays. Many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation's heritage and people. Families often mark the Fourth with a picnic or barbecue, and often gather in more distant relatives, taking advantage of the longer weekend. Parades are often held the morning of the 4th; the evening is usually marked by public displays of fireworks.In many states, smaller fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alternative to a public show. Concerns about safety have led some states to ban fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed, but illicit traffic brings some of the more powerful firecrackers in from less restrictive border states.

One colorful annual Independence Day event is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, which supposedly started on July 4, 1916 as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.

- Independence Day Wikipedia

The American Revolutionary War, known as the Revolutionary War in the United States, and as the American War of Independence in most other countries, was a war fought between the Kingdom of Great Britain and 13 of its North American colonies and their ally, France, from 1775 to 1783, through which the colonies overthrew British rule and established the United States of America. - American Revolutionary War Wikipedia

In celebration of the 4th of July.... this movie that features Great Quotes from Great Leaders. Several of the quotes featured are from great leaders who in one way or another have shaped our history.

Now turn up your speakers and click on the link to view the movie - Click Here! 

If the link above doesn't work copy and paste the link below into your web browser. http://www..greatquotesfromgreatleaders.com/?SRC=080701

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American Independence Day

How the Declaration of Independence Changed the World
Live Science - June 30, 2008 

Greener Fireworks Concocted
Live Science - June 30, 2008

Human Statue of Liberty Illusion - Mighty Optical Illusions

Originaly titled "Human Statue of Liberty", this image was taken at Camp Dodge in Iowa ... i googled up "Human Statue of Liberty" and here was my first hit: ...
www.moillusions.com/2008/03/human-statue-of-liberty-illusion.html

Photograph of a human Statue of Liberty taken circa-WWI in ...

Photograph of a human Statue of Liberty taken circa-WWI in Des Moines, Iowa. More about this page. Tags for this entry: photography statueofliberty ...
www.kottke.org/remainder/07/11/14513.html