Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-07-02
BIRTH OF THE NATION
OFT TOLD STORY OF AMERICA
MADE FREE.
One Hundred and Twenty Years Ago
the Gauntlet of Defiance Was
Thrown to Britain and This New
Republic Was Born.
Independence for AL.

Independence for Al.
One hundred and twenty years ago,
namely. on the Fourth of July, 1716, there
was born in the western world a new ma
tion--the Republic Of the United States.
Refusing to pay the taxation imposed up
on them at the point of the bayonet by the
British crown; failing to move the king
and his ministers from their career or
naughty and reckless obstinacy, the thir-
teen American colonies found themselves
reduced to the alternative Of abject sub
mission or of armed resistance. Already
there had flashed throughout the country
the electric words of Patrick Henry: I'VE
must fight! An appeal to arms ana TO the
God of Hosts is all that is left us.
The sons of liberty shouted their re-
sponsive acclaim to this manly summons,
and, like the sound of many waters, the
spirit of national independence which
thus possessed the people came upon the
Continental Congress, then in session III
the State House at Philadelphia, Pa. 1t
was in this temple of freedom, wherein
was sitting as noble and august legls-
lative body as the world ever saw, that
Richard Henry Lee introduced resolu-
ton, on the 7th of June, 1776, declaring
THAT the United Colonies are and ought
to he free and Independent States, and
that their political connection with Great
Britain is and ought to be dissolved
Upon this resolution there sprang up at
once an earnest and powerful debate. 1t
was opposed, principally, on the ground
that it was premature. Its further con-
sidcration was accordingly postponed un-
til there was prospect of greater unan-
unity. On the 11th Of June, committee
was appointed to draft formal Declara-
ton. This committee consisted of Ben
jamin Franklin, John Adams. Thomas
jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert X.
Livingston. On the 2Sth of June the COM
mittee made their report, and presented
the Declaration which they had drawn
up. On the I'd day of July Congress pro-
ceeded to the serious consideration of this
momentous paper, which lasted nearly
three days, and was extremely earnest
1t was known throughout the city that
the great event was to be determined, but
the closed doors Of Congress excluded the
populace From the hour when Congress
came together in the forenoon all busi-
ness was suspended throughout the city,
and the old bellman steadily remained at
his post in the steeple, prepared to sound
forth to the waiting multitudes the expect
ed glad tidings. The bell, manufactured
in England, bore upon its ample curve the
now prophetic inscription, proclaim lib
erty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof"
Hours passed on and fear began to take
the place of hope in many a heart; even
,, the venerable and always cheerful bell
man was overheard in his despondent So
liloquy:
'rhey will never do it! they will never
do itr'
Finally, at about o'clock in the after
noon, the door Of the mysterious hall
swung open, and voice exclaimed:
'Passed!-it has passed.
The word was caught up by ten thou
sand glad mouths, and the watch-boy
now clapped his hands and shouted,
Ring! Ringw Selling the iron tongue
Of the bell in which he had long felt such
professional pride, the electrified old pat
riot rung forth such a joyous peal as was
never heard before, nor ceased to hurl il
backward and forward till every voice
joined in its notes of gladncss and tri-
, umph. The roar of cannon, and illumi-
nations from every house and hilltop,
added to these demonstrations of univer-
sal rejoicing.
Washington hailed the declaration with
JOY for it put an end to all those temper
izing hopes of reconciliation which had
! clogged the military action Of the coun-
try. On the 9th of July he caused it to
|. be read at the head OF each brigade Of the
army. The troops listened to the reading
: with eager attention, and at its close
broke forth in tumultuous applause.
The cxcitable populace of New York
were not content with the ringing OF
bells. There was leaden equestrian
statue of George the Third in Bowling
Green, in front of the fort. Around this
kingly eiiigy the excited multitude surged,
and, pulling it down. broke II into frag-
ments. which were afterward nodded into
bullets and made to do service against
his majesty's troops.
In Boston, that citadel of radical insub-
ordination to ''his majesty" the public
joy knew no bounds. The town clerk
read the solemn declaration to the multi
tude, at the close Of which shout began
in the hall and passed like an electric
spark 10 the streets, which now rang
with loud huzzas. the slow and measured
boom Of cannon and the rattle Of muskct-
ry. The batteries on Fort Hill. Dorches-
ter Neck, the castle, Nantasket and Long
Island, each saluted with thirteen guns.