Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-07-02
By Hjalmar Petersen.
Fellow Citizens:

Fellow Citizens:
We are met today to celebrate the
one hundred sixty-sixth anniversary
of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence.
In the century and two-thirds
which have elapsed since that mo-
mentous document was signed, the
United States of America has grown
from thirteen little colonies with
population of three million to great
nation of forty-eight states with
population of over $50 million. Peo-
pie of every race and every religion
have come from every land to be-
come citizens of the new republic
across the seas. They have found
here political freedom, civil liberty
and economic opportunity. The pio-
neers continuously pushed the from
tiers back until, about 1890, the from
ties of America disappeared. In
dustrial and agricultural machines
were invented; great aggregations of
capital, called corporations, were put
together; labor unions were formed
and grew in strength; great cities
came into being; the drift of popu-
lation was towards the cities; an in
creasing proportion of our people
became industrial workers and a de-
creasing proportion of them remained
as the rural and agricultural part
of our population.
This situation has given rise to
many difficult problems in the fields
of agriculture, labor and industry.
1t would be interesting to discuss
today some of these problems, which
have developed in the 166 years since
the Declaration of Independence was
adopted on July 4, 1776. But it will
probably be of greater interest to
you if tell you first a few historical
facts about the Declaration of indie
pendence and then devote the bal
ance of my talk to a discussion of
one phase of our war effort which
absorbs our energies and thoughts
today.
We are apt to think of Virginia
and Massachusetts, as the leaders in
the fight for American independence,
but actually it was the colony of
North Carolina which took the first
step. On May 81, ITS, she passed
her famous Mecklenburg resolutions
which declared that the people of the
colonies were "a free and independ-
ent people, under the control of no
other power than that of our God
and the general government of Con-
gress." About year later, on April
IL, 1776, North Carolina took fur
Their step toward independence by
passing resolution ITO concur with
those in the other colonies in de-
claring independence" About a
month later, on May II, 1776, Vir-
ginia took bold position in favor
of independence and passed reso-
luton directing her representatives
to propose in Congress declaration
of independence" It is from this
Virginia resolution that the docu-
ment gets its name of Declaration
of Independence"
Pursuant to this Virginia resolu-
ton, Richard Henry Lee, a relative
of the famous General Robert E. Lee,
proposed a resolution on June 8,
1776, declaring the independence of
the American colonies from the rule
of England. This resolution was de-
bated for some days and passed on
July 2, 1776.
A committee was appointed to pre-
pare the document. Thomas Jeffer-
son, John Adams, Benjamin Frank
lin, Roger Sherman and Robert r.
Livingston were members of the
committee. The first draft was made
by Jefferson. Before it was finally
passed, Is Examinations, 6 additions
and 10 alterations were made.
On July 4, 1776, the declaration
was unanimously adopted by the
representatives of twelve states. The
delegates from New York did not
vote because of lack of authority,
but New York later called a con-
vention which ratified the Declara-
ton. The original Declaration was
signed by only John Hancock, as
President of Congress, and Charles
Thomson, as Secretary.
A copy of the Declaration was
then engrossed and signed on August