Independence Day

The Declaration of Independence was thought to be ready on July 2nd, but was not approved until July 4th, after further editing. A committee from the Continental Congress had been appointed to write it, and the logical person to take the lead was Benjamin Franklin, but he was ill. The work then fell to John Adams, who deferred to Thomas Jefferson, because of his writing ability. Adams, a great speaker, recognized this and asked Jefferson to do most of the composition. These two were political opponents. Each became President. Their bitter feud was well-known. Later in life they grew closer in friendship and did a lot of writing to each other. It is well known that they both died on the same day: The Fourth of July, 1826.
When it appeared the document would be approved earlier, Adams wrote to his wife, “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” He was certainly correct in his prediction that the event would be celebrated in time to come; the date was changed on him. The Declaration had been signed by 53 members by August 2nd, and signed by the remaining 3 members a little later.”

Here is the opening sentence of the declaration: “When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.”
The next sentence stands as one of the most meaningful and important in the history of our world: “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, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”