The sights and sounds of fireworks on the 4th of July never get old ….. from the anticipation of it to start, to the loud “boom” sounds, then the amazing display of lights in the sky. The picture above is a little sample of what we saw last year and looking forward to another great firework display on the 4th of July!
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A beautiful sight of the US flag flying high in the sky with the rainbow in the background. The day I took this picture, the weather was interesting with a mixture of wind, rain, and partial sunshine. I was sitting in the bleachers watching my son play flag football down on the field. There was a slight opening in sky for the sun to come out and within a few minutes a rainbow appeared near the flag pole. Glad I was able to capture that moment and share it with you.
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Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the USA”
{video not playing, click Here}
“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.” -United States Declaration of Independence, July 4th 1776
Information about the signers of the Declaration of Independence , click Here
July 4th is the day to celebrate and reflect on the birth of our nation.
The founding Fathers wanted this nation to be independent and separate from Great Britain. The decision by 56 of the 58 members of the Second Continental Congress to sign the Declaration of Independence was not without struggles, challenges and risk of death. Some names are easier to recognize than others but all were needed to give relevance and significance to this document and show unity. Some signatures have been colored by me to identify individuals mentioned below.
John Hart, signer of the Declartion of Independence, Judge and Lesgislator. He was one of the men who became a target of the British and was forced to flee from home and family. His house, mill and crops destroyed. After the long hardship of being on the run for over a year his health deteriorated and he never fully recovered. { continue …}
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Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826
Thomas Jefferson, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 3rd President of the United States, Secretary of State, Diplomat and Governor of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson’s well know phrase, ‘Separation of Church and State‘ was taken from letters written to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut . It was not written in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution as many people have assumed.
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Thomas McKean, 1734-1817
Thomas McKean, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of Congress Ratifier of the U.S. Constitution, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Governor of Pennsylvania and Governor of Delaware. The following is an excerpt of a Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer issued by Thomas McKean, November 19, 1781: “It is therefore recommended to the several states to set apart the THIRTEENTH day of DECEMBER next, to be religiously observed as a day of THANKSGIVING and PRAYER; that all the people may assemble on that day with grateful hearts to celebrate the praises of our glorious Benefactor, to confess our manifold sins, to offer up our most fervent supplications to the God of all grace that it may please Him to pardon our offense, and incline our hearts for the future, to keep all His laws, to comfort and relieve all our brethren who are in distress or captivity, to prosper our husbandmen, and give strength to all engaged in lawful commerce; to impart wisdom and integrity to our counselors, judgment and fortitude to our officers and soldiers; to protect and prosper our illustrious ally and favor our united exertions for the speedy establishment of a safe, honorable, and lasting peace, to bless our seminaries of learning, and cause the knowledge of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the seas.” {continue …}
The HBO 2008 mini series, John Adams is one of our family favorite history series to watch. I can’t say that our kids were excited to sit and watch history, but by the time part 1 ended, their interests heighten and were eger to continue to part 2. There were a few small parts that we decided to skip for the kids, but overall they watched everything else. Bringing history of our nation to the next generation will help them to understand, appreciate and celebrate this day with pride and joy.
We hope you and your family have a wonderful 4th of July celebration!
