Funny that if you went back and asked anyone living in 1776 what the significance of the 4th is, they'd probably call you a slag and/or a rake before gathering an angry mob to tar and feather you.
The real holiday should be on either July 2nd, the day that the colonies ratified the document; July 6, the day the Delcaration was officially made public in the Pennsylvania Evening Post; July 8, the first big day of celebration when the Declaration was read aloud before a crowd at the State House in Philadelphia; or August 2nd, the day the majority of delegates signed the Declaration. Nothing apparently happened on the 4th.
So said John Adams: The second 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 the continent to the other from this time forward forever more.
I don't know about you, but I always celebrate the 4th with bells. I clang from dusk til dawn. I give Salvation Army Santas a run for their money.
Anyway, John didn't get his way and it's a damn shame. I'll bet it was those meddling Scotsmen James Wilson and John Witherspoon. Probably Caesar Rodney had something to do with it too. Those Delawarians are rascally.
In the end, I say we all blame Ben Franklin. He was fat, he had gout and he slept all the time while all the heavy shit was going down. Damn you Poor Richard to Hades!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment