« Amendments and Republican Government | Main | Spider-Man 2 Revisited »

July 04, 2004

July 4, 1776

228 years ago today, the Continental Congress printed up a document formally separating the thirteen colonies from their mother country. The document was signed only by President of Congress John Hancock and the congressional secretary that day, contrary to the romanticized version of history repeated ever since, and it had actually already been approved several days prior. As with many such historic moments, the actual timing has been obscured in favor of an easier to remember storyline. But as long as we remember the important part of the storyline, the historic particulars can slide a little without undue harm. Today we will light off firecrackers, watch baseball games, eat more than we should and enjoy a little time off. And sometime today, perhaps we'll take the time to actually read the magnificent document that set our people on the path to becoming the United States of America, for it is well worth reading today as a reminder of what we then believed the purpose of government to be, as well as the source of legitimacy for any government. Those words are no less true today than they were on that hot July morning more than two centuries ago.

Have a wonderful Independence Day.