Annie's 4th of July Page
In the United States, Independence Day is celebrated on July 4th. On that day in 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Definitions from Webster's Dictionary
Independence Day \In`de*pend"ence Day\ In the United States, a holiday, the 4th of July, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on that day in 1776.
Declaration of Independence (Amer. Hist.), the declaration of the Congress of the Thirteen United States of America, on the 4th of July, 1776, by which they formally declared that these colonies were free and independent States, not subject to the government of Great Britain.
Freedom. Independence.
What
are we as Christians taught about these thing?
What is "Freedom" any way?
From
Webster's Dictionary:
Freedom \Free"dom\, n. [AS. fre['o]d?m; fre['o]free + -dom. See {Free}, and {-dom}.] 1. The state of being free; exemption from the power and control of another; liberty; independence.
What does the Bible say
about Freedom and Independence? What
about verses with the word "free"? Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." What about the Christians
who are being persecuted We as Christians and Americans can't even comprehend what is going on in the world. There is more Persecution of Christians in the world now then there has ever been. Some Christians have been arrested for having Bibles. There is a bill that is being considered in Israel that would also make it possible to arrest a Christian for having any material that would try to convert a Jew to Christianity. Some Christians were recently arrested for attending a Bible study. There are so many things happening today in Christian news that we just don't hear about on the National or Local news. But rest assured there is much persecution of Christians all over the world. How would you be able to
deal with being in prison for your faith? Can people "see"
your faith? The New Testament Christians were arrested, imprisoned and even killed for their faith and witness for the Lord. What if your Bible were
confiscated? Are you willing to DIE for
your FAITH? Can you say the verses below
and mean every word from deep within you? "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me an my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 If you are not a Christian..........visit the Campus Crusade "Four Spiritual Laws" site and make your decision today. With all the things happening in the world you can't afford to wait. Nuclear weapons, tornadoes, fires, shootings and more. If you are a Christian..........you have a choice to make right now. Are you prepared and ready to die for your faith? What is holding you back from letting the Lord be the Lord of your life. "And Jesus said unto him, no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back , is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 14: 26-27 & 33 "If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Here is what the Bible tells us to do under persecution......... Flee
from.............Mat 10:23 "But when they
persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for
verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the
cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come." "And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father but by Him." Colossians 3:17 "Jesus said If the world hate your, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you ; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." John 15: 18-21 Comfort
yourselves with these words ......... |
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, The movement for
independence (1754-1783)
Relations between the American Colonies and Great Britain began
to break down during the mid-1700's. Little by little, Britain
tightened its control over the colonies. Its leaders passed laws
that taxed the colonists and restricted their freedom. The
colonists had become accustomed to governing themselves, and had
developed a sense of unity and independence. As a result, they
deeply resented what they considered British interference in
their affairs. Friction between the Americans and British
mounted, and, on April 19, 1775, the Revolutionary War broke out
between the two sides. During the war--on July 4, 1776--the
colonists boldly declared their independence from their mighty
British rulers. In 1783, they defeated the British and made their
claim to independence stick.
Liberty Bell is a treasured relic of the
early days of American independence. It was rung July 8, 1776,
with other church bells, to announce the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence. Its inscription, "Proclaim
Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants
thereof," is from the Bible (Lev. 25:10).
The Liberty Bell weighs over 2,080 pounds (943 kilograms). The
colonial province of Pennsylvania paid about $300 for it in 1752.
Today the bell hangs in Liberty Bell Pavilion, just north of
Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The Liberty Bell was first cast in England. It broke in ringing
after its arrival and was recast in Philadelphia from the same
metal, with the same inscription, in 1753. The Liberty Bell rang
at each successive anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration
until 1835. The bell broke on July 8 that year, while being rung
during the funeral of John Marshall, chief justice of the United
States. It became known as the Liberty Bell about 1839, when
abolitionists began to refer to it that way. Previously, the bell
had been called the Old State House Bell.
The Liberty Bell is no longer rung, but it has been struck on
special occasions. On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed in
France, Philadelphia officials struck the bell. Sound equipment
broadcast the tone to all parts of the nation. Independence Hall
was the permanent residence of the bell from 1753 until Jan. 1,
1976, when it was moved to the pavilion.
REVOLUTIONARY WAR IN AMERICA
The beginning of the war
Fighting
broke out between American patriots and British soldiers in April
1775. The Americans in each colony were defended at first by the
members of their citizen army, the militia. The militiamen came
out to fight when the British neared their homes. The patriots
soon established a regular military force known as the
Continental Army. Britain depended chiefly on professional
soldiers who had enlisted for long terms. The British soldiers
were known as redcoats because they wore bright red jackets.
The patriots won several victories in New England and the
Southern Colonies during the early months of the Revolutionary
War. As the fighting spread, many Americans became convinced of
the need to cut their ties with Great Britain. In July 1776, more
than a year after the start of the Revolutionary War, the
colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Religious and political reasons for
coming to America
Some
of the colonists, beginning with the Pilgrims in 1620, came to
the New World to create communities where they could worship in
their own way. Throughout the colonial period, many groups headed
for the colonies to escape persecution for their religious
beliefs. Among those religious groups were Quakers and Roman
Catholics from England, Huguenots from France, Moravians from
Germany, and Jews from throughout Europe.
Parade is a public march or procession
honoring a particular occasion. The mood of a parade may vary
from joyous excitement to solemn dignity. Members of the armed
forces often parade on holidays to show off their strength,
condition, equipment, and skill. Many parades have floats, music,
marchers, and trained animals.
Parades in the form of religious processions go back to about
3000 B.C. Ancient cities often had special, elaborately
constructed streets whose main function was to provide a place
for processions. The Romans enjoyed parades, especially the
processions of the performers at the circus. They also had
frequent military parades, called triumphs, during the time of
the empire. Parades to honor particular feasts became popular in
the early Christian church, and remain so today. Political
parades were especially popular in the United States in the
1880's and 1890's.
Watermelon is a large, sweet fruit.
Watermelons consist of about 93 per cent water. They have a
smooth rind (hard outer skin) and juicy, edible flesh. Most
watermelons also have many seeds. The rind is striped or solid
and ranges in color from gray-green to dark green. The flesh of
ripe watermelons is white, greenish-white, yellow, orange, pink,
or red. Most watermelons weigh from 5 to 40 pounds (2.3 to 18.1
kilograms), but some weigh as much as 100 pounds (45.4
kilograms). Their shape varies from round to oblong. Watermelons
provide a good source of potassium and vitamins A and C. They are
eaten fresh, often in salads or as a dessert. The rind is
sometimes pickled and used to make relish.
Watermelons grow on vines. For this reason--and because they must
be replanted annually--watermelons are considered by
horticulturists to be vegetables.
As a watermelon ripens, the rind color becomes dull and the top
of the fruit flattens slightly. A ripe watermelon makes a hollow
thud when thumped.
The watermelon plant probably originated in Africa. Watermelons
are known to have been grown in New England as early as 1629.
Today, Turkey and China are the world's leading producers of
watermelons. Major watermelon-producing states in the United
States include Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
Uncle Sam: Uncle Sam is a figure that
symbolizes the United States. The term originated as an
unfriendly nickname for the U.S. government during the War of
1812.
The term "Uncle Sam" was used as early as 1813. In that
year, a Troy, N.Y., newspaper stated that it apparently had
arisen because of the initials "U.S." on government
wagons. In 1816, the nickname appeared in a book title, The
Adventures of Uncle Sam. It was later asserted that the term had
its origin in a specific person--Samuel "Uncle Sam"
Wilson of Troy, N.Y., who supplied the army with
"U.S."-stamped barrels of provisions.
The costume of Uncle Sam, decorated with stars and stripes,
originated in cartoons of the 1830's and 1840's. But the figure
did not assume its present form until after the Civil War
(1861-1865). In 1961, Congress passed a resolution saluting
Samuel Wilson as the person who inspired America's national
symbol.
Fireworks: Fireworks are combinations of gunpowder and other ingredients that explode with loud noises and colorful sparks and flames when they burn. Fireworks are also called pyrotechnics. Fireworks that only make a loud noise are called firecrackers. Fireworks are dangerous because they contain gunpowder. They should be handled only by experts. Fireworks handled improperly can explode and cause serious injury to the untrained user. Most states prohibit the use of fireworks by individuals. The federal government limits the explosive power of fireworks that can be used by individuals.
How fireworks work: Fireworks rockets, also called skyrockets, operate on a principle close to that used in large military rockets. A fuse, which may be made of rolled paper soaked with saltpeter, ignites the coarse gunpowder charge, forming gases that stream out of the end of the paper tube. This propels the rocket into the air. When the rocket is near its highest point of flight, the coarse gunpowder ignites the finer charge, and the finer charge explodes. The explosion breaks up the rocket and ignites many small firecrackers in the nose (forward section) of the rocket.
Here
are some special links to Historic Documents:
Declaration of
Independence
Thomas
Jefferson's document served as our country's promise to
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". Written
in 1776, this masterpiece put
forth what the Colonists were fighting for, and what this new
nation was to stand for.
Constitution
of the United States
The
document on which our federal laws (and in essence, our society)
are derived from.
SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
Fifty-six
members of the Continental Congress signed the engrossed
parchment copy of the Declaration. Most members signed on Aug. 2,
1776. The rest signed on later dates.
The signers, in alphabetical order, were:
John
Adams (Mass.) Samuel Adams (Mass.) Josiah Bartlett (N.H.) Carter Braxton (Va.) Charles Carroll (Md.) Samuel Chase (Md.) Abraham Clark (N.J.) George Clymer (Pa.) William Ellery (R.I.) William Floyd (N.Y.) Benjamin Franklin (Pa.) Elbridge Gerry (Mass.) Button Gwinnett (Ga.) Lyman Hall (Ga.) John Hancock (Mass.) Benjamin Harrison (Va.) John Hart (N.J.) Joseph Hewes (N.C.) Thomas Heyward, Jr. (S.C.) William Hooper (N.C.) Stephen Hopkins (R.I.) Francis Hopkinson (N.J.) Samuel Huntington (Conn.) Thomas Jefferson (Va.) Francis Lightfoot Lee (Va.) |
Richard
Henry Lee (Va.) Francis Lewis (N.Y.) Philip Livingston (N.Y.) Thomas Lynch, Jr. (S.C.) Thomas McKean (Del.) Arthur Middleton (S.C.) Lewis Morris (N.Y.) Robert Morris (Pa.) John Morton (Pa.) Thomas Nelson, Jr. (Va.) William Paca (Md.) Robert T. Paine (Mass.) John Penn (N.C.) George Read (Del.) Caesar Rodney (Del.) George Ross (Pa.) Benjamin Rush (Pa.) Edward Rutledge (S.C.) Roger Sherman (Conn.) James Smith (Pa.) Richard Stockton (N.J.) Thomas Stone (Md.) George Taylor (Pa.) Matthew Thornton (N.H.) George Walton (Ga.) William Whipple (N.H.) William Williams (Conn.) James Wilson (Pa.) John Witherspoon (N.J.) Oliver Wolcott (Conn.) George Wythe (Va.) |
Interesting information about the
Declaration of Independence
Declaration
of Independence is the historic document in which the American
Colonies declared their freedom from Britain. The Second
Continental Congress, a meeting of delegates from the colonies,
adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776. This date has been
celebrated ever since as the birthday of the United States.
The
Declaration of Independence eloquently expressed the colonies'
reasons for proclaiming their freedom. The document blamed the
British government for many abuses. However, it also stated that
all people have certain rights, including the right to change or
overthrow any government that denies them their rights. The ideas
expressed so majestically in the Declaration have long inspired
freedom-loving people throughout the world.
As the fighting intensified, hopes of reconciliation with Britain
faded. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced
a resolution to the Second Continental Congress stating that
"these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free
and independent States ..." After several days of debate,
the Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of
independence. The committee gave the task to Thomas Jefferson of
Virginia, who completed the work in about two weeks. Two other
members, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Adams of
Massachusetts, made a few minor changes.
When was the Adoption of the
Declaration?
On
July 2, the Congress approved the Lee resolution. The delegates
then began to debate Jefferson's draft. A few passages, including
one condemning King George for encouraging the slave trade, were
removed. Most other changes dealt with style. On July 4, the
Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of
Independence.
Who were the first two signers of
the Declaration?
The
Declaration was signed by John Hancock as president of the Second
Continental Congress and by Charles Thomson, the Congress's
secretary. It was promptly printed and read to a large crowd in
the State House yard on July 8. On July 19, the Congress ordered
the Declaration to be engrossed (written in stylish script) on
parchment. It also ordered that all its members sign the
engrossed copy. Eventually, 56 members signed.
Where is the original Declaration of
Independence?
The
original parchment copy of the Declaration is housed in the
National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. It is displayed
with two other historic American documents--the United States
Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Other 4th of July Pages by Annie:
Annie's 4th of July Welcome
Page
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