Celebrate July 4, But Don’t Forget Sept.
3 — The Nation’s Real Birthday
Issues & Insights,
by
Paul F. Petrick
Original Article
Posted By: 4250Luis,
7/4/2025 5:48:05 AM
One year from now, you will not be able to turn around without receiving notice of America’s semiquincentennial jubilee. The jollity of the occasion will not change the fact that it will be seven years premature.
The historical significance assigned to July 4, 1776, the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress, is befuddling. Without victory in the Revolutionary War, which began over a year earlier, any declarations regarding American independence made during the summer of 1776 would have the same significance today as the “declarations of independence” made by the 11 Confederate States in 1860-61.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
chumley 7/4/2025 6:15:11 AM (No. 1972763)
Trust an intellectual to overanalyze something trying to appear wise and as a result its significance becomes muddied. Its July 4th. Leave it alone. Wreck something else.
61 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
petrichor 7/4/2025 7:12:04 AM (No. 1972774)
Celebrate the men who fought in that revolution. A war that lasted eight years! Fought by a regular army and countless militias.
32 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
privateer 7/4/2025 7:33:37 AM (No. 1972781)
I doubt many women were involved in front line fighting or ambuscades. But they supported the men who did fight. And they raised the boys, who became the men who fought. Let's all celebrate all of our illustrious forebears! Happy Independence Day L-dotters!
29 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Rumblehog 7/4/2025 8:22:26 AM (No. 1972807)
I never understand why American citizens, and worse yet, American historians, persist in referring to the "American War for Independence" as the "American Revolution," yet persist they do, which obfuscates a vital reality of the American spirit. American wanted to remain a part of the British Empire, and even wished to retain the British Pound, as our post-conflict currency. No revolution in history ever attempted such a thing. At another period of our nation's storied history the southern states would align and oppose the excesses of those to their north and a conflict ensued, often called the "Civil War," but neither is that correct. It is instead better referred to as the, "War Between the States."
So, on this fine day in our nation's history when we celebrate our freedom from king and country, please use the term, "American War for Independence" at least once, for that is what it truly was, and be proud we never, "rebelled," and have always remained a staunch ally of the Crown.
15 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 7/4/2025 8:31:42 AM (No. 1972810)
We declared our independence by signing the DOI on July 4, 1776. That's good enough for anyone to say it's Independence Day and then we went to work on finally ridding ourselves of the British Empire. The working out of who gets what and various machinations leading to The Treaty of Paris are of more interest to history buffs than most of the country. Leave it to a lawyer like this author to make something tedious out of what might have been of mild interest to most of us. Since my four times great grandfather was killed by the British during the siege of Augusta in 1780, I know a little more about the war than the average American but this piece was boring even to me. July 4, 1776 was when we declared that we were a separate nation. Good enough for me.
16 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 7/4/2025 8:37:16 AM (No. 1972815)
Meanwhile, my dear Brits, enjoy your workday today.
13 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Miceal 7/4/2025 8:45:31 AM (No. 1972823)
Don't overthink it, just enjoy it...
16 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
Encore 7/4/2025 8:50:57 AM (No. 1972826)
July 4,1776 was the day those great men, men that put their lives on the line, declared our 13 colonies to be independent. From that point our Continental s fought and died as Americans…for that treaty. They were already independent. I celebrate that!
15 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
felixcat 7/4/2025 9:01:19 AM (No. 1972835)
Okay, so we celebrate both Independence Day on July 4th and the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3 - this country and the men (and women who supported them) that birthed it deserves two celebrations each year.
10 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Zigrid 7/4/2025 9:36:52 AM (No. 1972855)
Nope...no one is gonna spoil my celebration of July 4th...no one...it's a time to remember my mother's tears as WE sailed past the statue of liberty...it's my many parades with flags waving and drums playing...it's family cook outs of hot dogs and games...no intellectual is gonna remind me that the 4th of July really isn't about the founding of our country...I should remember September 3rd?...not happening...it's 4th of July for me and my memories....
21 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 7/4/2025 10:10:53 AM (No. 1972867)
Isn't Petrick the guy who would always remind the teacher at 2:45 pm that she hadn't assigned any home work yet? I would SO wait for that crank after school--right there in the hallway just in case the weather outside was bad! No self-respecting tomboy would like to get her saddle-oxfords dirty.
12 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
red1066 7/4/2025 10:20:57 AM (No. 1972874)
The Declaration of Independance was signed on July 4th, 1776. Considering the abysmal education system in this country concerning U.S. history, I'm pretty sure there are huge swaths of people across this country who couldn't tell you why this date is so important, or the danger the men and their families faced for signing that document. I urge everyone to go see this document as well as the Constitution in person at the National Archives in D.C. They are held in a darked room and one can read the words. Some of the words are starting to fade away to a certain extent to the point it's difficult to read, but you can read them. It's well worth the trip.
7 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
ARKfamily 7/4/2025 10:34:58 AM (No. 1972883)
#10, thanks for the visualization. It warms the heart!
6 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
erod111 7/4/2025 10:49:26 AM (No. 1972894)
With due respect for the previous posters discussing American history. Please do note that the DOI was actually SIGNED on July 2nd not the 4th. It was then made public on the 4th. Speaking of "abysmal education". Just saying.
7 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Kafka2 7/4/2025 11:14:51 AM (No. 1972902)
The 4th of July 1776 is when the Continental Congress officially declared the independence of the United States from Great Britain. King George III didn’t agree and sent his army over to suppress what he considered a rebellion. The United States was forced to fight a war with Great Britain to defend their Declaration of Independence that ended in 1783 when George III signed the. Treaty of Paris 1783 recognizing the independence of the United States. Patriots had fought and died to defend that independence since 1776. So far as the United States is concerned it has been independent from that date. It just took George III longer to accept that fact.
11 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
Geoman 7/4/2025 11:24:58 AM (No. 1972906)
If the author wishes to split hairs relative to our "Nation's Real Birthday, " the date that our Constitution went into effect, June 21, 1788, would be more significant than the Treaty of Paris. I'm always going to be fine with 7/4/1776 but after our War for Independence, our Nation lacked the form that we know today as the U.S.A. Our Constitution established a Nation that guaranteed the protection of individual rights and liberties, limited government with separation of powers and checks and balances, federalism, and judicial review became the pillars of our national framework. Monarchy was soundly rejected. Oaths of office for military, LEOs, and elected leaders at various levels of government are focused on supporting, protecting, and defending our Constitution, although our current crop of democrats evidently have their fingers crossed when they give their oath. It must be noted that previous iterations of democrats are well represented in our national cemeteries, located across our Homeland and in foreign locales where they died.
7 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
konocti95 7/4/2025 12:31:19 PM (No. 1972938)
#10 - It's a time for cookouts...unless one is a liberal east coast Democrat like Chuck Schumer. I really can't imagine the hole that guy lives in.
5 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
Golden Goose 7/4/2025 1:05:20 PM (No. 1972952)
The fact that we “declared” it before we officially achieved it is entirely in keeping with the American spirit. Scrappy and audacious! Just as it should be! Happy Independence Day!
4 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Catherine 7/4/2025 3:38:57 PM (No. 1972985)
I remember it the way # 14 said it. My American history teacher said it was actually signed July 2, but since there were no phones back then it took a couple of days for the news to spread. Doesn't really matter, tho. July 4th is the day to celebrate and always will be. And yes, some did not want to separate from England, but many did. They won.
4 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
Heil Liberals 7/4/2025 4:38:53 PM (No. 1973000)
Another revisionist ass!
While victory certainly was not assured, without the absolute declaration, it certainly would never have been attempted, never mind achieved. What an arrogant intellectual interpretation!
Certainly, one can accord the technical independence to the adoption of the Treaty of Paris - 1783. But even that wasn’t enough as Great Britain continued to assert itself in the western frontier via Canada. It took another war to solidify true American independence.
As for the adoption of the Constitution, that wasn’t enough a modification of governing principles that was to limit the power of government in favor of the sovereign people. The success of that purpose is still being played out and remains to be seen, but it’s looking better today.
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
4 people like this.
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