Happy Independence Day (John Adams Edition)

In a letter to his wife Abigail on the 3rd of July, Adams wrote:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha 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 forevermore.

(Spelling and capitalization has been modernized.)

The 2nd was the date that the Continental Congress approved of Richard Henry Lee’s proposal for independence. Lee had submitted the proposal in early June, which was the topic of much debate (obviously). Congress eventually passed the proposal on the 2 July, which led to numerous headlines along the lines of Adams’ letter.

Two days later, the Continental Congress passed the formal Declaration of Independence, as written (primarily) by Thomas Jefferson.  The date of that approval is what became a holiday in the US (as well as being the date, fifty years later, when both Jefferson and Adams died).

So enjoy the 2nd … or the 4th, or perhaps even a three day period encompassing the 3rd, too.  Fire dangers are high out there, so hold off on the bonfires and illuminations.  And I’ll leave it to each person’s conscience whether to commit solemn acts of devotion to God.  And always be careful when celebrating with guns.  But have a fine time, anyhow.  Maybe throw 1776 into the DVD player and get a bit of music to go with your history (the embedded video includes some of Adams’ language above, as does much of the movie) …

(via Ed Darrell)