4th July

[col.bris]

Happy 4th of July
Throw a shrimp on the Barby

 

[Hayles66]

Or braai in South Africa. I remember Paul Hogan with the barbie!

 

[giradman]

We now have nearly a third of a million members on this worldwide site, many of whom may be viewing this thread but have little idea of the meaning of the Fourth of July in the United States, nor some of the issues unresolved by this 18th century document.

The Declaration of Independence was penned by Thomas Jefferson (born in 1743) and after numerous edits/changes announced on July 4 of 1776 in which the American Colonies (i.e. original 13 states) claimed their independence from Great Britain - now, the revolution had already started at Lexington & Concord in New England on April 19, 1775, so the Second Continental Congress took over a year to decide to claim their independence - a momentous decision against the greatest power on the planet @ that time.

Below is just one statement from the beginning of the document (which can be viewed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) which refers to my statement above concerning 'unresolved' issues - one of which is the handling of slavery - never even mentioned; BUT, Jefferson, Washington, and other signers of this document were 'slave owners' - they could not address the dilemna in their own minds so just let it 'rest' - WELL, in the 1860s, a Civil War costing over 600,000 lives finally resolved the 'peculiar institution' existing in the country.

SO, hope this helps others to understand the 'holiday' and its complexity - Dave

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.