But Wait, July 4 Isn't Actually Independence Day!

Happy July 4th to all. Today, as we celebrate the official 241st birthday of our great nation, I thought you might enjoy a few history tidbits.

• July 4, 1776 neither started nor ended the American Revolution (which went from the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 and ended officially with the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783).
• The Continental Congress actually declared independence in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776.[1] Perhaps this should be considered the true date of the Declaration of Independence.
• The Continental Congress spent the next two days revising the wording of the written document, which was finalized on July 4, 1776.
• The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were never simultaneously present to sign it.
• Only some signed on July 4, 1776.
• The largest group appear to have signed on August 2, 1776. A few even signed after this date.
• The members of the Continental Congress were NOT unanimous. Not all signed.
• Only 25 signers were lawyers.
• The youngest was 26-years-old. Good old Benjamin Franklin was the eldest.
• Some of those present on July 2-4 were replaced by the time of signing by other representatives from their states.
• Only one signor lived long enough to see the United States 50 years later.
• A clause inserted by Thomas Jefferson, himself a slave-owner, criticizing the British slave trade, was removed by the others.
• George Washington was the third largest slave-owner in the Thirteen Colonies.
• Forty one of the 56 signers (73%) owned slaves.[2]
• Independence was only an actual fact as of the Treaty of Paris of September 3, 1783. This really should be our Independence Date.
• Great Britain ceded the Thirteen Colonies far more land than actually belonged to the Thirteen Colonies at the time.
• The Treaty of Paris was only ratified on January 14, 1784. Because of bad weather, only nine of the 13 states were present to ratify. But it was judged enough. Thus the American Revolution only formally ended on this date, almost nine years after it started.

But regardless, the brazen declaration more than seven years before this date shows staggering courage and fortitude. And to our Founding Fathers, we owe so much. And in spite of technical reasons we could choose other dates to celebrate our anniversary, saying Happy July 2nd or Happy September 3rd just sounds wrong.

So Happy July 4th!

Narayan

[1] https://www.archives.gov/found...

[2] http://www.mrheintz.com/how-ma...