Carrot Top

Independence Hall is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Independence Hall was built between 1732 and 1756 as the State House or capitol. At this building, colonial leaders met to plan the future of the new nation.

Many of the most important documents in U.S. history were written at Independence Hall. The Declaration of Independence was adopted here on July 4, 1776 (Independence Day). The Articles of Confederation were ratified here in 1781. The Constitution was written here and signed on September 17, 1787.

Independence Hall was also the home of the Liberty Bell for over 200 years

Howard Michael Madaus who was 63, died on July 22 after a brief illness. He was known as an expert on American flags as well as dealt with military weapons. He wrote many books on US Civil War flags and wrote many articles on the subject. He was also involved in many museums. Some called him the “the godfather of Confederate Vexillology”.

From the Flaginform #203 newsletter from the Flag Research Center

The Declaration of Independence document gave independence of the 13 British colonies in America and was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, in the name of the Virginia delegates to the Continental Congress, moved that “these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved.” This motion was seconded by John Adams of Massachusetts, but action thereon was deferred until July 1, and the resolution was passed on the following day.

In the meantime, a committee (appointed June 11) comprising the delegates Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston was preparing a declaration in line with Lee’s resolution. Jefferson prepared the draft, using “neither book nor pamphlet,” as he later said. Adams and Franklin made a number of minor changes in Jefferson’s draft before it was submitted to Congress, which, on July 4, made a number of additional small alterations, deleted several sections, including one condemning black slavery, incorporated Lee’s resolution, and issued the whole as the Declaration of Independence.

The declaration was adopted by a unanimous vote of the delegates of 12 colonies, those representing New York not voting because they had not been authorized to do so. On July 9, however, the New York Provincial Congress voted to endorse the declaration:

“Resolved, That the Declaration passed on the 4th, be fairly engrossed on parchment with the title and stile of ‘The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America’ and that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.”

On August 2, it was signed by the 53 members present on parchment in accordance with a resolution passed by Congress on July 19. On August 2, it was signed by the 53 members present. The 3 who were absent signed later.

With all of these patriotic days coming up (Patriot Day, Constitution Day, and Gold Star Mother’s Day) and the ones that have passed (Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day) it makes me think of when I was young in school and had to memorize certain things. We had to memorize the Bill of Rights, Pledge of Allegiance and the Preamble to the Constitution. The Preamble is what I remember the most.

Here’s what I had to memorize back then.

We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, to ordain and establish the Constitution of the United States of America.

There’s a great website that interprets the Declaration of Independence. You can read how it was actually written and then click on asterisks to see an interpretation of it in simple terms. This is a great way to gain knowledge of one of our most important documents in the US.

After you read up on the in-depth look into this document then you can take a quiz to test your knowledge of the events surrounding the signing of this historic declaration.

This is something that I’ve always wondered and was surprised by what I found out. Well the first 4th of July parade wasn’t on a street as they are today.

It really was a parade of boats on the Potomac River in Washington, DC. President John Quincy Adams and a group of American and foreign dignitaries boarded a steamboat and led a procession of barges and other boats up the river to the site today known as The Tidal Basin. They then transferred to smaller boats, floated up the old Washington Canal to the place that had been selected for the new Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. President Adams did the groundbreaking there for the waterway canal to cut straight through the heart of Washington DC between the Capitol building and Washington Monument.

The term Fireworks didn’t come about until 1777 when the first Fourth of July celebration took place. Before that they were simply called rockets. Because they were more visual than anything, they called them fireworks. Later on, the ones that were made for noise and not beauty were called fire crackers. And in 1880 sparklers were created. Sparklers are long thin wands that split out bursts of sparks in waterfall-style patterns.

In the Middle Ages, they had firemasters who designed and put on elaborate fireworks displays for military victories, religious festivals and crowning of kings and queens. Because this became so popular, by the 1700s they needed help, and so the assistants were known as wild men or green men because they wore caps made of green leaves.

They were much like jesters, flitting among the crowds telling stories, jokes and warning people to stand back. Then they would set off the fireworks with lighted sticks called fire clubs. This was a dangerous job and many green men were injured or killed when a firecracker misfired or didn’t shoot high enough in the air to be safe.

When fireworks came to America they were used for both domestic and public celebrations. By 1870, American companies were marketing fireworks for private use by renaming them Roman Candles, Flying Dragons, Sun Wheels, and Prismatic Foundations. And the popularity of the at home in your backyard fireworks fun meant many people didn’t have to deal with huge crowds to enjoy them. But, it meant they had to pay for them, whereas the public displays were usually paid for by the town and free to view.

Only 35 states as of right now have fireworks legal for the public to use. The other 15 states make it illegal totally. And in the case of some states they allow only certain kinds of fireworks to be legal. All states since 1966 have banned Cherry Bombs and other large firecrackers due to the large number of injuries.

The Liberty Bell travelled around the country in the late 1800s helping to heal a divided country and remind Americans of when they used to fight and work together for independence.

It was cast in London for the Pennsylvania State House and cracked soon after it arrived. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. The bell has cracked twice since then and no one knows why it cracked either time. The last time was in 1846 for George Washington’s birthday and hasn’t been used since.

The bell is made of 70% copper, 25% tin and small amounts of other elements. It also weighs 2080 pounds and is about 3 feet in length. The federal government gave every state and its territories a replica of the Liberty Bell in the 1950s as part of a national U.S. Savings Bond campaign. The Bell has been moved from Independence Hall (the Pennsylvania State House) in 1976 to the Liberty Bell Pavilion from 1976 to 2003 and the new Liberty Bell Center beginning on October 9, 2003.

Check out these sites for more information on the making of the Liberty Bell and the moving of it.

The fireworks imported from China into the United States were valued at $216 million, in 2006.
Japan purchases more fireworks than any other country.
The projected number of U.S. residents will be 302 million by July 4, 2007.
It is estimated that there were 2.5 million people living in the colonies in July 1776.
There are 30 places in the United States with the word “liberty” in their name.
There are 11 places in the United States with the word “independence” in their name.
There are five places in the United States with the word “freedom” in their name.
There are five places in the United States with the word “America” in their name.
There is one city in Indiana named “Patriot.”
The U.S. flags imported into the United States were valued at $5 million, in 2006.
The estimated amount of hot dogs eaten by Americans on the Fourth of July is 150 million.
One-half of the potatoes made for chips or salad at an Independence Day cookout were grown in Idaho or Washington.
Approximately 74 million Americans participated in a Fourth of July barbecue in 2006.
The number of foreign-born residents in the United States was 34 million in 2004 and 53 percent of that amount were born in Latin America.
The number of immigrants granted legal permanent residence in the United States was 706,000, in 2003.
The number of immigrants who became naturalized citizens in the United States was 463,000, in 2003.

The fourth of July is the birthday of our nation. Today, we celebrate and enjoy the freedom that comes with the event that made this day so special.

Thomas Jefferson, is the author of the Declaration of Independence. He led a committee that crafted the declaration between June 11-28, 1776. Jefferson and other discontented representatives from the thirteen colonies, voted and approved it on July 4, 1776. The document declared freedom for the 13 colonies from British rule. It currently resides in the Exhibition Hall of the National Archive in Washington, D.C.

Did you know? The Declaration of Independence was not signed by all representatives until August, 1776. To make it official, John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress signed it. Now you know where the saying “put your John Hancock on it” came from!?!

Today, we enjoy the benefits of the freedom which our men and women of the military have fought for. For us, it is a time for baseball, hot dogs and family picnics. Summer is in full swing and life is good.

Fourth of July is not complete without parades and fireworks. Fireworks are enjoyed by almost everyone. You should have your choice of several locations in your area on the Fourth, or even the day before. Many cottage owners on lakes will set out flares along the shore creating a “Ring of Fire”. Add to this an abundance of fireworks, and you have quite a display.