Friday, July 3, 2009

Happy Birthday Number 233!

Good Friday Morning, July 3, 2009. I am blessed to have the day off today and Lord willing I plan to visit my mom and dad tomorrow over in Louisiana. Being able to be off for this great holiday and being able to choose how we spend our time reflects what was at stake when those men took up their quills and signed their names to the Declaration of Independence back on that hot summer day in 1776. This is what I am thinking about today!

"What kinds of people settled the new lands of America? They had their own ideas about laws, religion, and what makes a good government. They were, in a word, independent. In 1776, England was far away, and people on this side of the Atlantic were heartily sick and tired of paying taxes on top of taxes to finance England's empty treasury. They were tired, too, of losing money by having the Crown interfere with their trade overseas. The men in the assemblies shouted that King George was a tyrant, so the King's men stopped the assemblies. When they still protested, the King brought in the army, making the colonists put them up in their houses. Any crimes the soldiers committed against the colonists were handled in the King's court by the King's judges.

The Declaration of Independence said that King George III, who acted in every way the part of the tyrant, was not fit "to be the ruler of a free people." The signers declared that the new states that they represented had the right to wage war against the Crown, continue to trade as they liked, and set up their own laws. The new government would be by the people and for the people, different from anything modern history had seen. By putting their names on the Declaration, the 54 men might well have been signing their own death warrants. Had the Revolution failed, they would have been high on the list of traitors to the Crown, certain to be imprisoned or more likely executed. Their commitment to a higher ideal despite their differences and the danger of their situation prompted John Hancock to say, "There must be no pulling different ways: we must all hang together." Benjamin Franklin added, "We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately." The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. Its brave and fiery words inspired both the citizens and the new American Army to suffer through a long war to defeat the British Army and begin an independent nation."

The above two paragraphs were lifted from a website devoted to helping kids with their homework. It is attributed to Virginia Johnson, a staff writer. The website is provided by a library located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. That crucial document that launched these United States of America was signed 233 years ago tomorrow, July 4th. Perhaps there are many who could benefit from revisiting the spirit of our founders, the sacrifices they made, and the blood that was shed for the freedoms we enjoy today. Happy Birthday America and may God Bless America, Land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her Thru the night with a light from above. From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam God bless America, My home sweet home. Amen. Have a great holiday and remember to remember the meaning behind our founding. ….More later.

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