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The 4th of July - From 1760 to 2014 - Check it Out

Posted by Tom Lombardo | Tue, Jul 01, 2014 @ 10:00 AM

Declaration of IndependenceWith the 4th of July only days away, CrossCheck reflects a bit on the history of our nation's independence day.

By the time King George III ascended to the throne in 1760 the British nobility was completely out of touch with the historical reality all around them. Over the decades since his grandfather – a German who barely spoke English – had left the governance of Britain in the hands of Parliament, Parliamentarians had financed and overseen, on their own, the vast and effective development of the British Empire. They had also eclipsed the aristocracy in influence and wealth.

So when King George began whining that the “divine right of kings” was somehow still important, most of the merchants and tradesmen who funded his government sniggered into their lacy sleeves.

Most, but not all. The wealthy businessmen in the American colonies laughed loudly, and openly, at the idea – especially after their money, manufactures and sons won the French and Indian War in 1763. When King George told them that they were not allowed to move into the territory they had just conquered, the American habit of ignoring the Crown became a matter of (what would become) national pride.

Ten years later when King George tried to invoke his “divine right” to impose direct taxation upon the colonies, they threw the Boston Tea Party, choosing to destroy British goods rather than pay taxes on them. King George saw his chance to get Parliament to rally around the Crown in order to put the Americans in their place. His plan worked and in 1774 Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, imposing upon the uppity Americans harsh penalties and deep taxation.

Rather than comply, the secret and illegal Massachusetts Provincial Congress began stockpiling weapons. The First Continental Congress met and agreed to boycott everything from Britain – and since that included tea, America soon became a nation of coffee drinkers. Ninety-five percent of trans-Atlantic trade evaporated almost immediately, alerting the world to the fact that the Americans were perfectly capable of acting in unison.

King George IIIKing George didn’t get that message. Then Thomas Paine published Common Sense in 1775, explaining the justifications for revolution against the Crown and independence from Britain so clearly that it went through twenty-four editions in one year and sold over half a million copies into a population of only 2.5 million people. King George missed that, too.

He figured a show of military might would contain the Americans and force their compliance. In February 1775 he sent his army to destroy the Massachusetts Provincial Congress’ weapons cache in Concord – but the rebels, famously alerted by Paul Revere, counter-attacked at dawn and drove the British into retreat.

One of King George’s governors lamented, “How miserable that man is who governs a people where six in seven, at least, are poor, indebted, discontented – and armed.” Ralph Waldo Emerson called it the “shot heard ‘round the world.”

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia shortly thereafter. By passing the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776, they did much more than create our country. They forever changed the aspirations of non-aristocratic people worldwide by stating, unequivocally:

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, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Nothing has been the same since. For 238 years people all over the world have pointed to that sentence as proof that they deserve the same.

This makes America unique in all of history, and to celebrate we’ve made Independence Day one of our most treasured holidays. Our celebrations reflect the wonderfully diverse nation we’ve become. Bristol, Rhode Island, for example, has the longest continuous annual celebration in the entire country and since they can’t fit it all into one day they start celebrating on Flag Day, more than two weeks earlier. Not far from where the Declaration was signed, in Litiz, Pennsylvania, the Queen of Candles leads the celebration by reigning over a Fairyland of Candles made up of over 7,000 artfully suspended flames in their local park. And the youngest state in the Union, Hawaii, celebrates by raising legions of turtles in captivity and releasing them into freedom on Independence Day.

4th of JulyWhile our revolutionary hostilities didn’t end until 1781 and the Constitution wasn’t passed until 1789, America became a physical representation of humanity’s greatest aspirations from the moment our forefather’s signed that Declaration. It’s fascinating to note that the only two signers who became President, John Adams (second after George Washington) and Thomas Jefferson (third), both died on July 4.

Independence Day gives us a chance to clear away the noise of everyday reality so we can reflect on the brilliant message that is the taproot of our nation, and so we can admire the nearly miraculous impact it has had on the lives of multitudes.

Written by Tom Lombardo