Tomorrow – on July 4 – we as Americans join together to celebrate our nation’s independence. All of us at the Freedom Foundation of Minnesota wish you a safe and happy Independence Day.
But on the eve of Independence Day, we at the Freedom Foundation dug around and found some interesting facts about our nation’s recognized birthday, as well as some falsehoods about our nation’s birth as well.
From Country Living:
“July 4th is significant because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress. On this day, delegates from the 13 colonies, known as the Continental Congress, formally agreed to seek independence from British rule.
“This agreement came nearly a month after Virginia Delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed the colonies seek independence. The Declaration of Independence we know and love was largely written by Thomas Jefferson. Other members of the Continental Congress suggested edits and approved the famous final copy.
“However, contrary to popular belief, July 2, 1776, was the day that the delegates voted in favor of independence, not the fourth. Only two delegates, Charles Thompson and John Hancock, signed the declaration on July 4, 1776. The last delegate signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2nd.
The magazine also offers some interesting facts:
- Today fireworks raise similar safety concerns. In 2019 and estimated 10,000 people landed in the emergency room due to firework related accidents.
- In spite of the danger, Americans still spend an estimated $1.5 billion on fireworks for 4th of July celebrations every year. (By the way, did you notice increased traffic on I-94 going back and forth to Hudson, Wis. last week?? Hmmm).
- Anyhow, the pyrotechnics industry isn’t the only one benefitting from the festivities. An estimated 150 million hot dogs are consumed every year on Independence Day.
More interesting nuggets from July 4, this time from the Columbus Dispatch:
“Certainly there was much celebrating after the Colonies declared independence. While not everyone wanted to split with King George, there were no doubt parties and speeches and all sorts of revelry. No celebrating of the newfound nation, however, cracked the Liberty Bell.
“The Liberty Bell — so named by 19th-century abolitionists, not 18th-century revolutionaries — first cracked in Philadelphia more than 20 years before the Declaration of Independence was drafted. According to the National Park Service, the bell was recast after the first crack, and was used for decades.
“The final, famous crack as it appears today happened in 1846, when the city of Philadelphia had workers widen the crack to prevent its spread shortly before George Washington’s birthday. This repair failed as well, a second crack formed, and the iconic bell hasn’t been heard since.”
