GUTS....YES....GUTS!

When we sign a document today we rarely put our lives on the line. When the men who signed the Declaration of Independence did they literally signed their lives and whatever property or money away should the War of Independence end badly for America. They put their necks in the hangman's noose should they be captured and probably the British would have sold their family into slavery or placed them in a penal colony. How many of us today would have that kind courage (guts) to do that. They knew full well what their signatures at the bottom of that page in history meant...it meant everything...including their sacred honor...something that could not be measured by monetary values. It meant the destiny of a new experiment in government...a government where the people gave the government its powers (US Constitution) and people had rights given them by God not their fellow man; this was something new and unique in the annals of human history.

How many of us would take that chance? To stand up to the world's most powerful army, Great Britain's, and say we are now free and independent from you...for these good reasons; and then back it up with their very blood if necessary. These Patriots stand in a long line of Patriots that have taken that chance, some have laid down their lives so that we, today, can celebrate that ongoing experiment in government of the people, for the people and by the people...the experiment continues. Happy Birthday America....and many more!

4th of July...USA Birthday?

Officially yes, it has been declared a holiday and our nation's birthday. Unofficially it took several more months to get the names of the needed representatives of the various colonies signed in ink on the document. They were not all in one place, Independence Hall, Philadelphia when Thomas Jefferson walked in with document in hand and signed it. In fact when the document began to circulate among the colonies for signature no one for certain was sure that nine of the colonies would in fact sign it...that is the number that was needed to make it a legal document under the Articles of Confederation. (I believe...if my memory serves me well) In the end it eventually was ratified and became an official document of the United States of America. There was a great deal of debate on the colony level whether it should be signed or not but it eventually was against all odds that were given at the time...some believed that it was signed because a higher Divine Power (God?) had changed the hearts of the men who dissented. So when you view the parades and fireworks today remember that it took a lot of time, hard work, thought, debate and according to some an act of God to make that Declaration of Independence official. Think about it today while you are having a good time.