bejohnson
07-04-2007, 12:12 PM
Today is July 4th and this is the day the United States celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence (http://boortz.com/more/declaration_of_independence.html).
The people of the United States forget the extraordinary effort that was put forth by our forefathers to gain the independence and freedom that everyone takes for granted these days.
Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence suffered greatly because of their backing of the idea of independence. Many lost their lives, many lost property and all of the signers suffered to some extent because of their beliefs.
The Continental Soldiers were farmers, merchants, businessmen and such. They were friends, neighbors, brothers, uncles and family. What they were not is professional soldiers. They were only a population of people that had a dream of independence and freedom. The sacrifices that were made by them were amazing. Columns of these citizen solders marched hundreds of miles, at times over frozen ground, without the benefit of proper shoes. In fact many of the soldiers were barefoot and one could see the path of the march by following the trail of blood from their bare feet.
We in this country should take a moment from our revelry on this holiday and think about how and why this day is held so dear in our hearts. The people in the rest of the world should think about how the idea of independence and freedom in the US has lead to the freedoms that they enjoy.
If anyone would like to read a very good book on the idea of independence and the human condition of that idea they should obtain a copy of "1776" by David McCullough.
Here is a link (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-141705730.html) to a review of "1776".
The people of the United States forget the extraordinary effort that was put forth by our forefathers to gain the independence and freedom that everyone takes for granted these days.
Most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence suffered greatly because of their backing of the idea of independence. Many lost their lives, many lost property and all of the signers suffered to some extent because of their beliefs.
The Continental Soldiers were farmers, merchants, businessmen and such. They were friends, neighbors, brothers, uncles and family. What they were not is professional soldiers. They were only a population of people that had a dream of independence and freedom. The sacrifices that were made by them were amazing. Columns of these citizen solders marched hundreds of miles, at times over frozen ground, without the benefit of proper shoes. In fact many of the soldiers were barefoot and one could see the path of the march by following the trail of blood from their bare feet.
We in this country should take a moment from our revelry on this holiday and think about how and why this day is held so dear in our hearts. The people in the rest of the world should think about how the idea of independence and freedom in the US has lead to the freedoms that they enjoy.
If anyone would like to read a very good book on the idea of independence and the human condition of that idea they should obtain a copy of "1776" by David McCullough.
Here is a link (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-141705730.html) to a review of "1776".