The Crittenden press., 1920-07-02

lOl SANDS OF anxious Cltl'
T ZenS had gathered In the
streets of Philadelphia where
congress was assembled, for
ii was known that the tinal
k ~ vote on the Declaration of
~ Independence would be taken
that day. Since the hour of the as
sembly of congress the old bellman
of the Liberty Bell in Independence
Hall had been In the steeple. lie had
placed his little grandson at the door
to give him the word when the an.
nouncement should be made. As hour
after hour passed by and no announce
ment came the old man shook his head
and said sadly, They will never do
It,"
Suddenly shout came UP from he
low and there stood the little blue
eyed lad clapping his hands for joy
and shouting, Ring, grandfather,
ring"
So the old grandslre swung the big
iron tongue and the Liberty Bell.
changing 100 times, sent its brazen
notes throughout the land rroclaiming
that the United Colonies were and Of
right ought to be free and inedepend.
ent and there was tumult of re.
jOlcing In the city.
This In effect is the first Fourth ~
July as many an American Schoolboy
has been taught il. II reads well and
there Is thrill In II. But II has one
large fault-it isn't true. As matter
OF fact there wasn't any real Fourth
of July Celebration" at all In 1916.
There couldn't be, for the reason that
the Declaration of Independence was
4 continuing operation that lasted
pretty much the whole summer Of
that year Incidentally, its culmina-
tion was July ., instead Of July 4.
Moreover. II was not until 1777 that
July was fixed upon as "the day we
celebrate" And 1t was In l777 In
Philadelphia that the first Fourth OF
JSly CtleDTutlOn WIZ Uelu.
20 get the history of the Declara.
lion Of Independence straight. We must
stsrt with the fact that the American
Revolution was not begun for the
achievement of independence. The
American colOnists began with the Idea
II securing the right guaranteed them
as Engllshmcn by Magma Charta, the
Bill Of Rights, and their own charters.
The Idea OF separation and independ. |
cnce was an afterthought and an out.
growth Of the hostilities faced by the |
British at Lexington and Concord.
The historic declaration OF the cltI. |
zens Of Mecklenburg county, North |
Carolina, in May, I77J. was one Of the
earliest manifestations OF the trend of |
public opinion. In January Of 1876.
Thomas PaIhe's pamphlet Common
Sense" appeared and gave he move.
ment n tremendous impetus. June Z,
lT76, Richard Henry Lee. under In.
struc,lOns from Virginia, presented to
me continental congress his famous
resolution which reads:
Resolved. That these United Colo
MES are and Of right ought to he. free
md independent states; that they are
dissolved from all allegiance to the
british Crown. and that all political
between them and the
state Of Great Britain Is and ought
% be totally dissolved;
"That 1t Is expedlent forthwith to
AXE the most eftcctual measures for
forming foreign alliances;
That plan Of confederation be-
.Tepared and transmitted to the r.s-
1ectlve colonies for their consldc1n.
ion md opprobatlon."
Here, in fact. was the Declaration
N Independence In u nutshell June
5, congress went unto committee ~
whole to consider the resolution. For
lurI,,,y r.u.n,u fl. I,f.wut... ,,..r.. ...t |