Every July I love watching my DVD of the musical 1776. In the show, the months leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence are portrayed. While not entirely historically accurate, it does give us a peek into what life was like during that time. The Continental Congress is in session in Philadelphia, General Washington is sending dispatches of the situation out in the field and our nation is about to be birthed. Declarations are written, debates are held, tempers flare, alliances form and songs are sung about all of it. However, it is not just for the entertainment that I watch it over and over again. I gain such inspiration from being reminded of what people are willing to do for something they believe in.
Many of the members of congress were well off. They left their farms, their families and their livelihoods to serve their country. They were lawyers, planters, merchants and shippers. They all came from different backgrounds, but they all came together to change the course of world history.
It was not an easy decision to serve in the Continental Congress. They did not see their families for months at a time. Children were born in their absence, others had children die from disease, crops failed, war time shortages impacted their families, yet they remained in Philadelphia. They were dedicated to their cause and no amount of hardship could keep them from their task at hand. Many of them were willing to risk everything, including being tried for treason by signing the Declaration of Independence.
They were willing to wage war for freedom. They were willing to accept death as a possibility. They were willing to be seen by history as either traitors or patriots. While we now know the outcome, they did not as they debated each sentence of the Declaration committee’s proposal for independence from British rule. On July 2, 1776 independence was declared. On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress passed the resolution and on August 2, 1776 it was signed.
Today we celebrate the 4th of July with fireworks and barbeques. We gather safely in our homes with family and friends. We travel over the long weekend and never give much thought to the sacrifices it took in order for the United States of America to be born.
It began with a group of men willing to risk everything to push forward the idea of independence. It began with a group of women willing to run the households, the farms and the family in order for their husbands to reside in Philadelphia. It began with an army of young soldiers on both sides who fought a long war before our independence was achieved.
Our country was born 240 years ago by a group of men who had the foresight, the integrity, the commitment and the courage to put forth to the world our right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” May we take a moment or two this month to remember what so many sacrificed, both then and in so many wars since, in order for us to live in the freedom we take for granted. God Bless America.