WHEN IS INDEPENDENCE DAY?

Are We Missing Out on Celebrations?

As July 4th approaches, I asked my husband what he would like to do to celebrate the day.  His answer, “Let’s celebrate the real Independence Day – October 19th.”  Intrigued, I began to delve deeper into this part of history, a period I thought I had had studied and knew well.  Turns out, I had it wrong.  Perhaps I’m not the only one.

John Adams believed that July 2nd would be the day celebrated throughout the continent and the ages.  On that day, the Continental Congress voted for independence, and for the inevitable war with the British. After many weeks of infighting and arguing, the various states came together to agree on this issue.  But it took another two days to draft the Declaration of Independence which then had to be signed, printed and distributed.  We actually celebrate the day Jefferson’s document was shared with the Congress.

But we weren’t independent, as yet.  On April 19, 1775, the infamous “Shot Heard Round the World” was fired in Concord, MA, as the patriots sought to keep the British from confiscating a large weapons stash.  This represented the first battle of the Revolutionary War.  Some cities and states still celebrate this day.  The Boston Massacre was also recognized (March 5, 1770), though no one does now.

We actually won the war on October 19, 1781, denoted in the picture below, as General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington.  Not typically noted is the integral role of the French in our success; from their initial provision of expertise and supplies to their more significant involvement as soldiers and leaders.  They also supplied fleets of French warships which blockaded access to Yorktown thus denying the British vital supplies needed to continue the war.  It might seem to some that the day we actually achieved independence merits celebration.  Putting out a statement of what you desire doesn’t usually result in success.  October 19th represented an uncommon success where the states were for the last time, the underdog.

St. Eustatius was the first foreign power to recognize the independence of the United States of America known as the "First Salute" on the 16th of November 1776.  The ship Andrea Doria (not the same one) arrived at the island to gather weapons and ammunition and were greeted with a 13-gun salute. 

Does any of this matter?  So many see the 4th simply as another day off, the nice weather prompting picnics and parties.  But when you consider the risk the Patriots took in the audacious act of demanding independence, all these dates represent critical moments in shaping the country we love today.  Had things gone differently, Sam Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and so many more would have been executed as traitors and terrorists. 

We’re all pretty complacent, trusting that our country will just keep working for us, as were so many of the colonists.  At the time, the strictures, while annoying, felt tolerable to many.  After all, the alternative meant war, a scary prospect.  Fortunately, a few (very few) brave men stood up to fight and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. What would you be willing to do to keep the country you love?  So few even take the effort to vote.  We could and should do more.  At the very least, we should recognize and celebrate our veterans as the heroes we could never be.  As Ben Franklin so famously said after the vote was cast, “We have given you a Republic. It remains to be seen if you will be able to retain it.”

What would you be willing to do to save this republic?