JOHN ADAMS mistakenly thought that July 2 would be remembered as Independence Day. On that day in 1776, the Continental Congress, acting as a committee of the whole, debated and approved the document. The brilliant Mr. Adams wrote this to his brilliant wife, Abigail:
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations . . .
. . . as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.
Two days later, of course, the Continental Congress officially approved the document, which to this day -- except at the Houston Chronicle -- is indeed solemnized each year with pomp, parade, and all the rest.
Today, the Fourth of July, 2010, is also a Sunday, so it is particularly fitting that we also celebrate it, as Mr. Adams hoped, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.
The Liberty Bell rang out in celebration of the new Declaration of Independence on July 8. Here is its inscription:
Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof. Lev. XXV X
When "Lev. XXV X" comes up on Jeopardy, the correct question is, "What is Leviticus 25:10?"
Finally, let's close with this brilliant disquisition on the Declaration:
About the Declaration, there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, what we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction should not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.
(Calvin Coolidge, "Address at the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1926)
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