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Did We Get the Wrong Day? This Thursday, July 4, we are preparing to celebrate the 237th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence from English Rule. We are familiar with the many ways which England took advantage of the colonies, but a little research into "Little Known Facts about the Fourth of July" throws a slightly different light on the situation. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia at the Second Continental Congress put forth the motion to cut the ties with Britain. Lee would have been the chair of the Committee of Five appointed to draft the proposal, but his wife's illness necessitated that he return home. The Committee of Five was then composed of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman. They chose Thomas Jefferson to write the declaration. Jefferson began work on June 11, writing as many as a dozen drafts. After his presentation of the final draft, the committee revised the document again before submitting it to the Continental Congress on June 28. There was considerable discussion about the plan. Not all of the 18th Century colonialists were happy with the independence idea. A good half-million were loyal to the British crown and held on to their royal connections in places like New York City, Long Island and northern Georgia through the 1780s. Eventually, however, the colonies voted on July 2, 1776, to accept the Declaration of Independence. John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail about his belief that July 2 would be a day to be remembered and celebrated in America for years to come. Adams noted that the occasion "ought to be solemnized 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." But, according to the Farmers' Almanac website, "Apparently everyone else remembered otherwise…" The again re-defined Declaration of Independence continued to be discussed after the July 2 vote. On the afternoon of July 4, the declaration was released to John Dunlap for publication. About 200 "Dunlap broadsides" were published and read across the colonies. Interestingly enough, the first copies read publicly did not have the names of the signers listed. The task of signing the document began on August 2, 1776. Congress ordered a special printing of multiple copies on January 18, 1777, which would include the names of the signers. These were sent to each of the thirteen colonies. At that time the task of getting signatures was a daunting one because of transportation and communication problems. The copy of the Declaration of Independence which is maintained in the National Archives is the signed, engrossed copy. John Hancock, as President of Congress, signed in a prominent centered position below the text. Other delegates began to sign at the right below the text. Their signatures were arranged according to the geographic location of the colonies they represented. New Hampshire began the list, Georgia, the southernmost, ended it. The colonists actually began celebrating as John Adams predicted. They set off fireworks on July 4, 1777, even before they knew if they would win the war for independence. But — did we get the wrong day? ~ Bobbie Eckel Community News | FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2013 9

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