Check out and read from
The Writer's Almanac below:
"Today is Independence Day. On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United States officially broke from the rule of England. The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson in a little second floor room on Market Street in Philadelphia, on a little lap desk that he designed himself. The Congress had wanted Benjamin Franklin to write it, but he declined, and then John Adams declined because he said Jefferson was ten times a better writer than he was...
...Benjamin Franklin made a few new changes. Jefferson had written, "We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable." Franklin changed that to, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."
The Congress cut out an entire paragraph in which Jefferson had attacked the king for perpetuating the slave trade. They cut about 480 words out of his draft, leaving 1,337. Jefferson found the whole process rather painful.
The 4th of July became a big holiday after the war of 1812 and out on the American frontier, it was the one time of the year when everyone gathered in town from all over the countryside for parades and speeches, and the prettiest girl would be named the Goddess of Liberty, and politicians would get up and denounce the king and men would get drunk and insult each other, call each other Englishmen, and get into fights."
"...politicians would get up and denounce the king and men would get drunk and insult each other, call each other Englishmen, and get into fights."
Sort of like it is every day...except for the "king" and "Englishmen" parts.
I think the President gets to replace the King as the butt of any joke.
And calling someone else an Englishman wouldn't be terribly insulting, considering what I have seen online and overheard.
I have an exploding migraine sinus headache from hell (left side) and have a day of whining and moaning planned.
I hope everyone ELSE has a much better time and has fun and stays safe!
view TRUE BLUE's profile
Ha! I wish this is how it was written in textbooks!
view laurabellk's profile
"They cut about 480 words out of his draft, leaving 1,337. Jefferson found the whole process rather painful."
I hope I'm not the only one who caught the geeky "leet" reference in there :D
view gregory's profile
Jeez, Jefferson sounds like the 18th Century version of a rant/troll queen who would start babbling about communism on a thread about needlepoint.
Oh yeah, speaking of rant queen, the Declaration of Independence was signed on 3rd of July.
view somedudeinvicenza's profile
somedudeinvicenza, you're right. Succinctly put, perpetuating the slave trade was evil. Although I must say I'm not sure where your communist slant comes in.
view tarynitup's profile