America’s Independence Day – July 2nd?
We all know the story. July 4 is when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. For Americans, Independence Day conjures up images of Thomas Jefferson writing the historic document or John Hancock’s famous signature. Many people even remember one of the opening sentences:
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.
In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote that many people will remember the United States’ independence “with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” While John Adams was correct about the festivities, he declared that this day of celebration is to be recognized on July 2. So why was he off by two days?
July 2nd was the day that Congress decided in a document called the Lee Resolution that they were independent from Great Britain. July 4th was the day that more formal Declaration of Independence was signed. The much shorter Lee Resolution, while similar in purpose, starts out like this:
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.
Quote this document all you want; you now know something that your history buff friends probably don’t know about.
Read on:
AmericanHeritage.com – Making Sense of the Fourth of July
The Text of the Declaration of Independence on the Los Angeles Times website
OurDocuments.gov – Lee’s Resolution transcript
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