This post has just turned into another daily political thread, which we already had. Comments are now closed.
The colonies had been in conflict with England for over a year in June of 1776. A Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on June 7 of that year. Richard Henry Lee from Virginia offered up a resolution with these now famous words:
“Resolved: 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.”
Lee’s words spurred the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. A committee of five was appointed to draft a statement making the case for the colonies, a statement to the world of the intent and the reason behind that intent.
Members of the Committee were John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. Jefferson took on the task of actually drafting the document as we know it today.
The Continental Congress reconvened on July 1, 1776, and on the following day, the resolution for independence by Lee was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies, with New York not voting. Minor changes were made to the Jefferson document.
Work on the document continued through July 3 and into the afternoon of July 4, when the Declaration was officially adopted by the Congress. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two — Pennsylvania and South Carolina — voted No, Delaware was undecided, and New York again abstained.
As we all know, John Hancock, President of the Congress made his signature large enough for King George to read “without his spectacles.”
IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,
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.
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. – That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, – That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. – Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, 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; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The complete list of those who signed were:
John Hancock (president of the Continental Congress), Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry, Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery, Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott, William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris, Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark, Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross, Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean, Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton, William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.
Check out this link for the sobering fate of many of those who so pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor. [H/T to TheOriginalG-d&Country for this source.]
Those are the facts about our Declaration of Independence, the history that we as school children have learned since the creation of this great nation that we celebrate, that we love and honor so.
Usually we humans can’t adequately find words to express our own sentiments, let alone those of a nation and successive generations to come, but Jefferson and that Continental Congress did just that.
The words have stood throughout several centuries as a clarion call for freedom, for breaking free of tyranny, for men to put aside their individual causes and join together to battle for the right of every man, woman and child together to become a people united in goal and resolve.
Today as we celebrate, today as we pledge allegiance to a flag that has gone from 13 stars to 50, may we remember not only the sacrifice, but the resolve. May we honor not only the words, but the unity and deeds of our forefathers. May each of us dig deep into our hearts and work out our differences for the betterment of our nation and our children and grandchildren.
Say a prayer for America today. Rekindle hope today. Honor the past by determining the future.
Please remember that this is a post in honor of our Independence Day. No political content, no rants, so slamming the other side. Today we are just Americans, honoring our country and each other.
Oh Heavenly Father, I pray that you help us to turn to your ways. May the killing of the innocent stop, may the treatment of the just by the unjust be stopped, and, while there will never be a heaven on earth, help your followers seek and find peace and the ability to help bring your will back to America.
And today DripDrip and other beloved Treepers, God begins revealing his answer to our years of sobbing and heartbreaking prayers for those caught in sex trafficking.
We have Noon tickets for the Sound of Freedom movie which opens today. I hope you will join us in prayer and attendance for the success of this movie.
SoF is about an actual organization that works with local authorities around the world to take down sex trafficking rings.
Be prepared for the storm that is coming. Through this “Aslan is on the move” (a Narnia reference) moment in history, our Almighty God also starts his take-down of the globalists and Uniparty that has protected traffickers.
Trump, more than any other modern president, fought human trafficking. That is one reason they hate him so much. This movie can unite us as a nation because overwhelmingly Americans love and protect children.
In a way, today we begin a new Independence Day.
For. The. Children.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
Amen!
We have the 4:00 showtime.
Onward Christian soldiers
Excellent.
Today is the appointed day by God’s timing to start taking our children back… they belong to God.
The storm is upon us in all it’s fury…and we are the fury.
God bless these faithful warriors liberating the children. May God’s light shine on them and the precious cargo they are recovering.
Well said!
Going to the noon showing here in Paducah, KY.
Thank you… we’re going to see it in Mankato, Minnesota.
P.S. I love the many good people in Kentucky.
Seeing it today in AZ.
Saw the movie last night. Eye opening.
All acting was superb.
I think Jim Caviezel said all the actors+ believe in the cause of rescuing children and ending trafficking of human beings.
I believe that is more important to them than movie ‘industry’ acclaim.
I used to casually study this topic but I had to stop because I was getting into some deep dark rabbit holes.
This movie has me excited again because the Great Awakening begins now for many, many Americans.
At the end there’s commentary that says right now there are more slaves in the world than in any other time, even when slavery was legal.
Hear our Prayers! Amen
Good Day We were pleasantly surprised to find almost all showings today sold out! God Bless Angel Studios, this film will open the eyes of many and put the lazer focus on this terrible harm to the innocent!
Amen
✝️
“Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven..
give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..”
Maybe there will be a heaven on Earth.
Praise the Lord and God bless America
💕🙏💕
drip, drip — I want a deluge of what you prayed for — no drip, drips!
Have a blessed America Birthday!
(“Loaned” from another blog: http://www.michellesmirror.com/2023/07/training-day-continues.html?m=1)
White supremacist domestic terrorists.
We thank our God for them.
Thank you for this post Menagerie, I have not read it through for years now, a beautiful reminder of what made this country great at one time.
In reading through this morning, the Declaration from these men so many years ago really strikes a chord, unlike any I have experienced before.
The reality of their situation that brought them to that decision rings true today, perhaps truer if that is possible. The list of grievances we now endure may surpass even those of the Colonists.
“the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God…” has been so brutally attacked by those who have now assumed the role of today’s Tyrant, it is now a crime to speak truth or pray openly without the fear of, and often the reality of, imprisonment.
The only “Systemic” anything in place today is the systemic dismantling of, actually the destruction of, this once valued Declaration of what role a government should be.
Think the only word these despots aim to keep is “entitled”.
💕Menagerie provides soul quenching offerings! 💕
A little frivolous for these serious times, but they don’t make these actors anymore!
Kentucky All State Choir – 2020 – sings our National Anthem!!!
It’s a tradition.
Here is 2023 my dear Sibyl….
My grandson was there singing. Thank you for posting!
Thank you, I needed to read this again.
The Declaration of Independence was the foundation with actual bullet points for our US Constitution. We need to reread it and read and know our Constitution to spread the information to those who have never read either. Also, Hillsdale college has free copies of the Constitution that will fit in your pocket.
Hillsdale also has free online courses on the Constitution. I need to retake some of them so as to fully remember and recognize the rights our founders ensured us.
👆👆👆
I recommend Constitution classes be established throughout the entire USA. Let them be free and a deduction on your tax bill if you attend a class. Return to what has made us great besides hard work!
Constitution – huh!
Isn’t that what you get if you don’t eat enough roughage?
Asking for half the country.
😜🇺🇲
And a Constitution TEST for all who enter politics.
And a Declaration Of Independence Test.
-A re-test every five years
And for the judiciary and teachers.
Retired Magistrate here: I have a pocket copy of the Constitution and carry it with me at all times so that I can refer to it and educate others. There is a lack of information about what really is in the Constitution, especially the First Amendment and the Separation of Church and State which most people actually believe is in the First Amendment; it isn’t.
There’s our favorite retired Magistrate! Marcia, happy America’s birthday to you!
🎆🇺🇲💕🇺🇲🎇🇺🇲
We are a nation founded on God. Our birth certificate, the Declaration, concludes with a prayer and a confession of faith. Remember the fathers were signing their death warrant for treason if they lost. They were risking all — their lives, fortunes, and honor.
One founder was George Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister and professor at Princeton. Many of the other signers had been his students. And like Witherspoon, most of the founders were Calvinists, whether Presbyterian, Congregationalist, or Episcopalian.
Witherspoon saw to it that they closed the Declaration with a prayer — “appealing to” is a prayer — and a confession of faith — “in firm reliance” is a confession. They prayed to the Supreme Judge, who according to the 1646 Westminster Confession is: “The Supreme Judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”
And they invoked, they confessed, the protection of divine Providence. Again they turned to the Westminster Confession which says of divine Providence: “God the great Creator of all things doth uphold; direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things; from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible fore-knowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will; to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.”
Only Christians believe in the Holy Spirit as a person of the Godhead. And, while Christians are to honor the authorities and not rebel, they can cry out to God to raise up a Judge on their behalf like Moses.
And also note that contrary to the liberal’s labeling the founders as deists, their invocation of the Holy Spirit and divine Providence is the exact opposite of deism. Deism is a watchmaker god, who having created steps away to let the creation run on its on. God manifested in the Holy Spirit and Providence is the God revealed in Christ who speaks to us, who protects us, who comes to live and die and rise with us, Emmanuel God with us.
We are a nation founded on God. May His hand remain upon us, may He not turn His face away. Amen.
Yes and Amen.
Very well said. Thank you for correcting that common misconception.
Beautiful. Like all the Founding documents were, I believe divinely inspired. These men risked everything for the idea of freedom and their natural rights granted to them by God.
Now, here we are 257+ years hence and what these men and women died and bled for is being threatened by installed feeble minded nitwits who are intentionally confusing something as basic as what makes a little girl, or little boy.
Historically the seeds for the USA started in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War, then 13 years to the Declaration 1776 to the US Constitution in 1789 was 13 years, the entire turning was 26 years to break from the British Empire. The same holds true where we find ourselves today and an interesting timeline, The (modern) Tea Party happened in 2010 13 years ago.
My point, as the Founders were being challenged by a foreign power, Britain, we are again being challenged by foreign powers, the massive distinction being we have our Founding documents, we will either use them or lose them. This will take time to correct.
God Bless America!
247…
Yup, and we are going to have a helluva 250th with President Donald. John. Trump. (Say his name RNC!)
Looking forward to it Arminius! I remember the 200th as a youngster. It was a year-long celebration. Palpable excitement and bubbling enthusiasm shared by Americans across our great country
Hope to see the Tall Ships return for the 250th! They came from all over the world to honor our 200th. Wonder if there are many left, but would love to see them again.
—-This morning I am listening to backyard fireworks sporadically pop off in the distance. Smiling at the unquenchable patriotic enthusiasm of each pop and boom. And enjoying a refreshingly cooler light breeze that is holding off the hot, sticky for the moment.
It is good to be alive and an American today.
Yes! Praise the Lord!
thx…
Biden Is Not A July 4th American Political Aberration:
Confronting the MAGA Reality of a Failed Nation State.
July 4, 2023.
Laurie Thomas Vass. http://www.civildissolution.com
Excerpt: Full article available at Substack at http://www.civildissolution.substack.com
Introduction: The United States Government Is At War With the Citizens.
The editorial writers at PJ Media, an internet news aggregator website, have penned a rosy, optimistic July 4th narrative about the future of America, as part of their public relations strategy to sell subscriptions to their website. (Happy Birthday, America! Here’s to a ‘More Perfect’ Union, June 30, 2023.).
They state:
“For nearly a century after this nation’s founding, [actually it was 68 years] the discussions of slavery divided the country, but the Union ultimately held together… this nation has endured presidents who died in office or were assassinated, and we’ve held our own through one government scandal after another…the U.S. is a resilient nation that has proven time and time again that liberty is worth pursuing and preserving. We’re not perfect, but as a nation, we should strive to be better… You can help us in our efforts to make the truth known by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. The support of our readers goes a long way in allowing us to not be as dependent on ad revenue, and you get amazing benefits to boot.
PJ Media promotes itself as a conservative news outlet, and their rosy public relations scenario is part of the obstacle MAGA Trump Patriots have in coming to grips with the reality that the United States is a failed nation state, of a revolution that failed.
Many so-called conservative pundits, like PJ Media, contribute to obscuring the reality of the failed American nation.
For example the advice from Kurt Schlicter is to ignore the government’s war on citizens and vote for DeSantis.
Schlicter writes in his column, “Everybody Chill – We Have a White House to Win Back,” (Townhall, July 3, 2023.).
“I am a Republican – I will vote for the nominee. Everyone is better than Biden. I am going to vote for whoever wins the Republican nomination. DeSantis. Trump. I’ll even swallow hard and vote for Chris Christie if he wins, or Nikki Haley, or that dude no one ever heard of from West Dakota. Yeah, Asa, too, by Cracky.”
Schlicter’s advice is part of the uniparty strategy of diverting MAGA Patriot’s attention from the government’s war on liberty
Full article available at Substack.
The other sections of the longer article are:
Section 1. The War Against American Liberty is a Global War That Cannot Be Solved by MAGA Voters in the Corrupt U. S. Election System.
Section 2. The War in Ukraine as the Surrogate For Global Unipolar American Corporate Dominance.
Section 3. Conclusion. The Government’s War on American Liberty Means The Permanent Loss of Trust in the Failed U. S. Government.
From one of my great ancestors…
John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776
–
But the Day is past. 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.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not.—I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States.—Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.
https://founders.archives.gov/?q=Recipient%3A%22Adams%2C%20Abigail%22&s=1111311111&r=146
He is a cousin to me also.
I am related to James Buchanan. That isn’t even worth mentioning. Until President Poop-Pants, Buchanan was famous for being the most “do nothing” president.
I guess he could still hold that record because President Poopy really has accomplished a lot — a lot of damage.
Adam’s positive belief in victory was so strong he could write to his wife about annual Independence Day celebrations rolling out into the future –before the outcome of the coming war for independence could be known .
At that juncture on July 3, 1776 probably anyone looking at the situation from foreign shores assumed the Crown would easily stomp out what the King called a rebellion. The might of the British Empire wasn’t even facing a real fighting force. The rebels (patriots) had little to no money to fund the fight, no trained army to face off against a world-renowned military machine.
My point is —Adam’s positive energy and clear vision of victory (before victory had been achieved) was important to the cause of independence, maybe even critical. The opposite of Tokyo Rose. An anchor for the people in the dark days to come during the war for independence. I am grateful that John Adams was that beacon at that time.
Ronan Tynan sings God Bless America at the Nation’s Capitol in 2015.
I enjoy this one because he sings the long version.
Happy 4th all!
👆👆👆 Thank you Kitty.
God Bless America by the incomparable Kate Smith is worth a listen.
I appreciate how they portrayed men as strong silent types who stopped everything they were doing to listen to Kate sing.
Cameo by Ronald Reagan.
Retired Magistrate here: A former co worker, a Marine, served five tours of duty in Viet Nam. On one of the tours he was the driver for Kate Smith, who was in fatigues and combat boots in the jungles of Viet Nam. She apologized to my friend for having to drive her rather than the younger women that were there to entertain the troops.
My co worker said that Kate Smith was a lovely woman; did a great job entertaining the troops and was proud to be there to serve the troops. My co worker and Kate Smith struck up a friendship and they sent correspondence back and forth until her death.
That is sweet!
When that movie ‘This is the Army’ came out in 1943, my dad was serving in the Pacific.
He’s with the LORD now but if he were still here, I’d ask him about the first time he heard that song.
I ask God to continue bless you new, old and truly wannabe Americans. And thank you LORD for blessing America.
Thank you, Menagerie, for honorable and solid input as usual.
I’m part of your tribe.
We owe the French a debt of gratitude for the final victory at Yorktown.
The Yorktown victory was due to a combined force of the American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington supported by Marquis de Lafayette and French Army troops led by Comte de Rochambeau and a French naval force commanded by Comte de Grasse over the British Army commanded by British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis.
Vive la France!
This Document is such a beautiful illustration of Why The United States of America became the greatest country on Earth. Our Declaration of Independence has been the envy of some of the World’s leading philosophers and intellects born into countries ruled by Communists, Dictators, and Tyrants. I pray that this document and our Constitution continue to remain the ultimate Law of this great nation.
When I read this I found myself inserting the term The Democrats or (they) instead of He. It seemed to fit in almost every section.
(They) “has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.”
(They) “has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.”
(They) “has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.”
Thank you Menagerie. Perfect start of this Day, July 4th.
Our America. We need to keep this wonderful creation.
Thank you for another great article Sundance. I firmly believe that without your efforts and fine reporting we would be under Communist rule already instead of just on the brink.
Thank You
From a group here of “We The People”
This evening to the people who get Chinese “drone displays” instead of Chinese fireworks just remember the fireworks don’t have cameras…that we know of.
We don’t celebrate the fourth of July any more than we celebrate the 25th of December. We celebrate what HAPPENED on those days.
AWESOME.
Sadly will never see it in person, but words I live by…
Long live the Republic and death to Communists.
“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.”
He is hearing us. And in His way, His will be done! “I have no fear of bad news; my heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
Menagarie.
Thank you.
Happy Birthday y’all!
Superbly stated. Thank you. God bless America.👍🙏🇺🇸
I hear quite a bit that “oh, that’s such an old document and it doesn’t apply any more,” or we get cafeteria patriots who remember the “all men are created equal” part and ignore the rest.
But the further you read, into the usurpations, the more you realize that there is nothing new under the son. Tyranny has certain universal truths. Disobedience of laws, putting the military (4th branch) superior to the civil power, using mercenary armies (BLM, Antifa) to attack us. And on, and on.
The Civil War is often referred to as the Second American Revolution. We are in the midst of the third.
it is time for a new declaration. we have new grievances.
it must be presented by someone with the voice and charisma to echo to all, and to demand that patriots sign onto it.
No. Any attempt to adopt a new declaration will abrogate the original and all will be lost. The grievances are the same, dressed in modern clothing. And that demand to sign on is, itself, a tyrrany. It is time to live up to these words ourselves and to follow through by rededicating our sovereign States to the implementing document, The Constitution for the united States of America.
May all you fine American “ Treehouse “ contributors have a happy, healthy and joyful day.
Cheers to all!
I highly recommend opening the “link” in the article that takes you to the fate of those who signed the Declaration of Independence.
As much as I have independently study history during my 70 years, I had never seen such a detailed discussion. I had read parts of it in scattered sources but never so much in a single document.
This flies in the face of the BS revisionists are foisting on our kids and even adults today, that the signers were all rich slave owners who profited from the Revolutionary War. As the last sentence in the declaration states a reflection of their commitment and fates … “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, fought on August 27, 1776.
It happened in present-day Brooklyn, New York City.
The British defeated the Continental Army and gained access to the strategically important Port of New York, which they held for the rest of the war. It was the largest battle of the Revolutionary War in terms of both troop deployment and combat.
The hallowed grounds of this battle became Greenwood Cemetary http://www.green-wood.com 60 years later.
Every year, until Covid, there was a re-enactment:
“Green-Wood Cemetery will present the annual reenactment of the Battle of Brooklyn ….. complete with actors, cannons, horses, and a collection of Revolutionary War-era flags displayed throughout the Cemetery.”
I can’t find any indication that there will be another event this year.
None-the-less I hope that many many American patriots will show up spontaneously and uninvited, just like the original patriots, and celebrate and rededicate the American Revolution.
Take the “R” train to 28th street Brooklyn, walk up the hill to the entrance.
Ooops, should be:
Take the “R” train to 25th street Brooklyn, walk up the hill to the entrance.
25th, not 28th.
Don’t get lost in the subways please.
Happy Fourth of July, everybody! I can’t help but to wonder if we’re going to have to go through another revolution though. The rulers we have now seem worse than the British ever were.
Thank God for the USA. Now we need to ask God to help us keep it. The Declaration of Independence and our Constitution remain the most incredible political documents in human history. Only Americans have ever known why. We have been blessed by our Creator for the exceptional work of our founders.
These were great and eloquent men, who amazed the World….Great warriors like George Washington, great scientists like the multi-talented Ben Franklin, farmers, ministers, businessmen…pledging their lives and property to the cause of liberty, freedom of worship and self determination against the most powerful military force in the World…and in many cases, reaping nothing but personal hardship from that struggle….Shall we ever see their like again?
Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the revolutionary war.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.
Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: ‘For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.’
Happy Independence Day 🔔 🇺🇸
Michael W. Smith
Freedom was never easy to maintain. God Bless America and its Patriots.
Dear Treepers
Happy 4th of July may the good lord bless and keep you all safe
SUNDANCE” thank you for all you have done this year to keep us all sane and every time i think i need a Lift
your news stories are there to help me across to a new place .
May god bless you, for all the good you do to help President Trump and place you on top of his list of blessing
What was the truth about taxes in Colonies? Maybe it wasn’t what you were taught!
“By 1714, British citizens in Great Britain were paying on a per capita basis 10 times as much in taxes as the average “American” in the 13 colonies, though some colonies had higher taxes than others. Britons, for example, paid 5.4 times as much in taxes as taxpayers in Massachusetts, 18 times as much as Connecticut Yankees, 6.3 times as much as New Yorkers, 15.5 times as much as Virginians; and 35.8 times as much as Pennsylvanians.”
https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/07/03/tea-taxes-and-the-revolution/
Happy Independence Day!
God Bless America 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Today I thank my ancestors for their part in making America. William Parr, Sheriff of Philadelphia, escaped to Lancaster taking the records with him. Jacob Reiger, surgeon 2nd Pennsylvania, John Caanan 2nd Lt, 2nd PA, Sam Phipps, private 2nd PA, Ben Williams, Frontier Ranger, Jim Scott, spy, Joe Studebaker, translator. (Joe was captured by the Delaware and spent nine years with them). Johannes and Caspar Hildebrand of the York Militia. Thanks boys.
Allow me to offer an excerpt of Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on “hyphenated Americans,” from a speech given in 1915 to the Catholic Knights of Columbus:
(My emphasis in bold)
“…There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism…a hyphenated American is not an American at all.
This is just as true of the man who puts “native” before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States.
...If (a man) is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as anyone else….
The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of (hyphenated Americans), each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic.
The men who are (nothing other than) hyphenated Americans (should find) no room for themselves in this country.
The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American. There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.
I appeal to history. Among the generals of Washington in the Revolutionary War were Greene, Putnam and Lee, who were of English descent; Wayne and Sullivan, who were of Irish descent; Marion, who was of French descent; Schuyler, who was of Dutch descent, and Muhlenberg and Herkemer, who were of German descent. But they were all of them Americans and nothing else, just as much as Washington.
….all the…signers of the Declaration of Independence stood on an equality of duty and right and liberty, as Americans and nothing else…
So it was in the Civil War. Farragut’s father was born in Spain and Sheridan’s father in Ireland; Sherman and Thomas were of English and Custer of German descent; and Grant came of a long line of American ancestors whose original home had been Scotland. But the Admiral was not a Spanish-American; and the Generals were not Scotch-Americans or Irish-Americans or English-Americans or German-Americans.
When in 1909 our battlefleet returned from its voyage around the world, Admirals Wainwright and Schroeder represented the best traditions and the most effective action in our navy; one was of old American blood and of English descent; the other was the son of German immigrants. But one was not a native-American and the other a German-American. Each was an American pure and simple. Each bore allegiance only to the flag of the United States. Each would have been incapable of considering the interests of Germany or of England or of any other country except the United States….“
And on a nation’s military preparedness…
“…there cannot be this preparation in advance for military strength unless there is a social basis of civil and social life behind it.
There must be social, economic and military preparedness all alike, all harmoniously developed; and above all there must be spiritual and mental preparedness….”
For the entire speech, which puts to shame with its eloquence and knowledge the pathetic speeches of Clinton, MAObama, Bush, and of course the blithering blather of The Manchurian Marionette:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/68152/68152-h/68152-h.htm
Such a wonderful gift to start this day, Happy Independence Day everyone!
The most AMAZING document in the history of governance! Why hasn’t it ever been REPEATED in other nations? Why hasn’t mankind EMBRACED these values and virtues?
Recommended watching for today : on Socrates in the City (Youtube) Eric Metaxas talks with Michael Medved about his amazing book God’s Hand on America.
Also, if you feel like some intellectual basketball, watch Bret Weinstein talk with Vivek Ramaswamy about the profound significance of the Constitution, and how to reawaken people to patriotic nationalism beyond party affiliation . . . posted on Weinstein’s Youtube site a few weeks ago.
Thank you dear Menagerie!
I read through the entire Declaration. So many of the offenses I had forgotten. It was enlightening to refresh the memory. (And so many I recognized!)
God bless those courageous and intelligent men for what they risked to obtain Liberty!
Read the link Destiny of The Signers.
Jailing of J6s, fences and guards at Capital are stark warnings.
The Hayward piece in Breitbart today is good.
Here in the Heartland my neighbor, while taking a break in the shade on his driveway, read the Declaration of Independence to the 10 year old neighbor boy who had stopped by to say ‘Hi!’ and show him his new ‘rip board’. As the Declaration was read and the ‘big words’ explained, the boy sat in total silence and was seemingly mesmerized. Such a powerful document Thomas Jefferson had authored and our founders signed onto it still captures new generations with it’s ideals. I was amazed by it all – this is the America I know. God bless America, please.
14 other men held the title of “president” before Washington—and in the lobby of a hotel, their historical legacy lives on.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hall-of-presidents-before-washington
Nichan I learned more of our history from the article you reference.
” . . . there were other men who held the title of President, those who presided over the Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation.”
I recognize some of the names. They took a risk taking a visible leadership position, presiding over these earliest fledgling forms of self-governance in opposition to the King.
Some names of these pre-Constitution presidents like John Hancock. Others named in the above article include Peyton Randolph and Thomas Mifflin.
Thank you for bringing their names forward. Long overdue. And today I can add to my list of gratitudes a thankfulness for these leaders during the birthing of our nation.
“Some boast of being friends to government; I am a friend to righteous government,to a government founded upon the principles of reason and justice; but I glory in publicly avowing my eternal enmity to tyranny. Is the present system… a righteous government – or is it tyranny? …Surely you never will tamely suffer this country to be a den of thieves. Remember, my friends, from whom you sprang.
Let not a meanness of spirit, unknown to those whom you boast of as your fathers, excite a thought to the dishonor of your mothers I conjure you, by all that is dear, by all that is honorable, by all that is sacred, not only that ye pray, but that ye act; that, if necessary, ye fight, and even die, for the prosperity of our Jerusalem. Break in sunder, with noble disdain, the bonds with which the Philistines have bound you. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed, by the soft arts of luxury and effeminacy, into the pit digged for your destruction.
Despise the glare of wealth. That people who pay greater respect to a wealthy villain than to an honest, upright man in poverty, almost deserve to be enslaved; they plainly show that wealth, however it may be acquired, is, in their esteem, to be preferred to virtue.”–John Hancock, Boston Massacre Speech, March 5, 1774
“Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. … Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those Rights which Heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us.”–John Hancock, First Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Seventh “President of the United States in Congress Assembled” under the Articles of Confederation, Smuggler and Sam Adams’ partner in American Liberty
Rest in the Vine: Your Hancock Here
German-language Newspaper that got the scoop on American Independence
On July 5, 1776, only the “Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote” reported the big news.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/german-language-newspaper-declaration-independence-day-signing
Thanks for the history tidbit. July 5th publication overseas –that was quick.
Happy July 4th!
You’re welcome. Many people I talked to don’t know some of these things. Glad you like this
Before America got Uncle Sam, she had to endure Brother Jonathan
“After the Revolutionary War, Brother Jonathan was the personification of the newly independent American people: clever, courageous, not all that sophisticated and proud of it. He was the everyman incarnate. It was the everyman who had led America to victory”.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/brother-jonathan-uncle-sam
Happy Independence Day to you Treepers!
Keep the dream of liberty alive in yourself and your families.
Teach your children of our wonderful history.
Warm up those grills today and do not drink bud light.