Independence Day for the 13 North American British Colonies
 

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies claimed their independence from England, an event which eventually led to the formation of the United States. Variously known as the Fourth of July and Independence Day, July 4th has been a federal holiday in the United States [only] since 1941. However, the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution (1775-83).

In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies, then fighting in the revolutionary struggle, weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two -- Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- voted "no", Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's signed his name "with a great flourish" so England's "King George can read that without spectacles!"

The birth of the nation that was to become the United States was and remains unique. The United States was not a nation founded on the ties of blood, soil or ethnicity. It was founded on the ideals and principals that all men were created equal by God, who had endowed each of us with certain inalienable rights that could not be infringed by government. The authority of government itself was derived from the consent of its citizens and was charged with protecting these individual rights of its citizens.

With this great individual freedom, each person was charged with the personal responsibly of his choices and the fortune/misfortune that flowed from them. There was no guaranty of outcome. No one was too big or small to fail--or suceed. The only guarantee was one of opportunity to make the most of with what one started--be it intelligence, wealth, family, faith & values, geography, genetics and all the rest. All of this has been a work in progress, with steps made both forward and backward, during the two centuries, multiple decades and handful of years since 1776.

God bless the United States of America and pray that He never let us forget why and for what reasons and purposes we became our own nation.