July 3, 2021 (Saturday)
What is a colony? It is defined as “a group of people who leave their native country to form in a new land a settlement subject to, or connected with, the parent nation.” In our country, they were those British colonies that formed the original 13 states of the United States: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. There was unrest within the colonies that eventually resulted in representatives of the colonies meeting together to discuss their grievances. A Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. After the revolutionary war, a constitution was adopted and the United States of America was established. In 1789, George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the new nation. July 4, 1776 is generally recognized as the birth date of our nation, which is now 245 years old, still a young nation when compared to other nations of the world.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed, John Adams wrote to his wife, “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, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more (A slight difference in the date was soon settled as July 4).”
When Washington was elected president, John Adams became the Vice President and Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State. When Washington retired, the major candidates to replace him were John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Adams became president and Jefferson, vice president. After four years there was a bitter campaign by Adams and Jefferson for the presidency. Following procedures set forth in the constitution, Jefferson was elected by the House of Representatives and Aaron Burr was elected Vice President. Adams did not attend the inauguration and instead left town to return to Massachusetts. The two were staunch political enemies until later in life when their friendship was renewed through correspondence. Both men died July 4, 1826. Their successors as president were James Madison, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams (son of John Adams). The next president, elected in 1829, was Andrew Jackson, who ushered in a new era of national politics. Eventually, 50 states would join the union known as The United States of America.
AMERICA
My country, ‘ tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside let freedom ring!
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free, thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills, like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
Our fathers’ God, to thee,
Author of liberty, to thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by thy might, great God, our King.