6 GROUNDCOVER NEWS HISTORY 250 Years: July 4 celebration, reflections of the American revolution and democracy Preamble to Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” On July 4, 2026, America celebrated the 250th anniversary of its independence from Britain. There were 13 original colonies spread across the east coast of the present day United States. They were all subjects of King George and the British empire. All key decisions on shipping, trade, representation and taxation had to be cleared by the British government. Before the 1776 revolution, the British parliament engaged in major political conflicts with their colonies. The issues centered on representation and WILL SHAKESPEARE Groundcover vendor No. 258 political power. Obviously, the British parliament believed it had absolute power over the colonies, and the colonies showed some resistance. The Library of Congress provides a detailed account of the resistance in a report titled, “British Reforms and Colonial Resistance, 1763-1776.” It has a timeline showing resistance by colonies, not only in North America but also in India. Our readers would benefit from following the timeline. There were serious tensions between the British Parliament and the American colonies’ Continental Congress. A prominent writer of the time, Thomas Paine, who was an immigrant born in England, came to Philadelphia from London in 1774. He got a job editing some journals. He wrote many articles on American resistance which were published in local newspapers. When he learned about what the Massachusetts Bay Colony did by dumping cargo loads of tea in Boston Harbor, and how the colonial leaders voiced out loud “No taxation without representation,” he decided to write a pamphlet entitled, “Common Sense.” At that time, the Founding Fathers had not fully decided on independence from Britain. “Common Sense” made a case for a declaration of independence. Thousands of the pamphlets were printed and distributed in 1775 and JULY 24, 2026 Members who drafted the Declaration of Independence, one week before July 4, 1776. The committee included Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Linngston and Thomas Jefferson. Painting by John Trumbull. 1776, especially after the bloody battles between the British army and local Boston area militia in Lexington and Bunker Hill. The United States Office of the Historian — located in the State Department — presents a story of the American Revolution from the lens of American diplomacy and foreign affairs. It notes that the American colonial leaders, before and after the Declaration of Independence, were able to informally gain financial assistance from, and a military alliance with, the French government. The three major superpowers in the 1770s were France, Spain and Britain. Having the French as an ally was a major breakthrough. About political independence, the U.S. Historian said, “...tensions continued to escalate until, in 1775, armed conflicts erupted.” Who could forget the story of the patriot Paul Revere and others jumping on their horses and racing through Boston, Concord, Lexington and nearby small farm communities screaming, “The British are coming! The British are coming!!” A painting which depicted “The Boston Massacre," etched and printed by Paul Revere, subsequently was published in newspapers all over New England and in many of the 13 original colonies. It fanned the flames of resistance. Another patriot and revolutionary war hero, Patrick Henry, shouted, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Nathaniel Hale, a brave and courageous Patriot from the colony of Virginia, declared, “I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country!” The colonists, who were economiMembers of the Constitution Drafting Committee, including Ben Franklin, George Washington, Roger Sherman, George Mason, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay — authors of the Bill of Rights. Painting by Howard Chandler Christy. cally dependent on Europe, recognized that European nations were unlikely to conclude trade agreements with the Americans unless they declared their independence. The U.S. Continental Congress endorsed Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and with the endorsement of this document, the conflict with Great Britain became a full-fledged War of Independence. The French formally took the position of an ally in 1778. The new nation subsequently received foreign assistance from France. It was said that John Adams approached the French with the ‘Model Treaty’ which protected neutral trade and shipping rights in the event of war. The Constitution, Bill of Rights and Amendments The National Archive Museum has noted that the nation’s founding documents are: the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights. We have just shared a bird’s-eye-view of the Declaration of Independence. Now, let us present a perspective of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Amendments. First, let us view the preamble to the constitution. It started with the statement: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” In the spring of 1787, the Continental Congress of the new United States called a meeting of their government representatives at Annapolis, Maryland, “The Annapolis Convention.” Because they did not have a quorum, the meeting was called off and rescheduled in Philadelphia in June. The constitution-drafting convention in see 250 YEARS page 10
7 Publizr Home