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Susan
Mangatal - susan@ariousentertainment.us
Greetings
On-Line Family:
Happy Independence!!
 "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, deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government
becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People
to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness." Excerpt
of the Declaration of Independence.
This Independence day celebrates the 232nd birthday of the United States of
America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of
Independence. Here
in the U.S., this annual holiday commemorates the formal
adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of
Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the
signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the
Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official
anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states
and territories.
At
the time of the signing the United States consisted of 13
colonies under the rule of England's King George III.
There was a growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes
that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred
to as "Taxation without Representation" as the
colonists did not have any representation in the English
Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest
grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help
control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent
delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First
Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with
England, but were not yet ready to declare war.
In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord
Massachusetts, the battle of Concord would mark the unofficial
beginning of the colonies war for Independence.
June 1776 a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration
of independence headed by Thomas Jefferson. The committee
included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and
Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the
first draft which was presented to the congress on June
28th. A vote was taken late in the afternoon of July
4th. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the
Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No,
Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. To make it
official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress,
signed the Declaration of Independence.
The first observance of this holiday was held on July 8th, 1776,
the Declaration had it's first public reading in Philadelphia's
Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was
read to cheering crowds, while bands played, people celebrating
with candles which they lit and placed in their windows, and
pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall
was rung. The "Province Bell" which would later
be renamed "Liberty Bell" after it's inscription -
"Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the
Inhabitants Thereof."
The
first Independence Day celebration took place the following year
on July 4, 1777, and by the early 1800s the traditions of
parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to
celebrate America's birthday. The
actual legal holiday was declared in 1941.
In
1859 the Banneker Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania urged
African-Americans to celebrate Independence Day while bearing
witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in
the Declaration of Independence and the practice of
slavery. Banneker's orator of the day, M. Jacob C.
White, Jr., also promised his audience a brighter future.
We have learned by experience and
by the comparison of ourselves with people similarly situated,
to hope that, at some day not very far in futurity, our
grievances will be redressed, that our long lost rights will
be restored to us, and that, in the full stature of men, we
will stand up, and with our once cruel opponents and
oppressors rejoice in the Declaration of our common country,
and hail with them the approach of the glorious natal day of
the Great Republic.
Mr. Jacob C. White Jr.,
Introductory Remarks
Throughout
the years the 4th of July celebration tradition continued, and
it was/is customarily celebrated publicly with parades and
pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and
cannons and displays of fireworks. However, in the 20th
century public concern for a "safe and sane" holiday
resulted in restrictions on general use of fireworks.
Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of
July celebrations. Today the most popular way to celebrate
Independence Day is to get together with family and friends,
have a "cook out" and attend a fireworks display.
To see and read the Declaration
of Independence please CLICK HERE or the picture above!
On a personal note to all
of you, we know Independence means many different things to so
many of you, but the overall meaning is freedom, freedom from
persecution, from hunger, oppression, even financial freedom and
most importantly freedom from within (freedom of negative
thoughts, and freedom from hatred and intolerance). For us
the most important thing we are seeking is financial freedom and
we are thrilled because we are well on our way to accomplishing
this goal.
We say to many of you
please continue trying to attain the freedom of whatever you are
seeking to be rid of, or accomplish!
In closing we at Arious
wish you our on-line family (those who were born in the US and
to the many who have made the US your home) the best 4th of
July...actually a very happy Independence day holiday!!!!!
 Thanks
to the many who have sent me e-mails in
response to my past E-Newsletters and lots of important
information. Most importantly, I thank you for your
encouraging words! So until next week...and please enjoy this
4th of July holiday Weekend!!
   
To all of you
our on-line family, thanks for reading, sharing your thoughts
and comments with us, and for always supporting
us. As you know without you there would be no us.
So thanks very much for your support and One Love!
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