The4thofJulyisthemostimportantholidayintheUSA,foritcommemoratesthatfamousdayin1776whentheAmericansdeclaredtheirindependence.Congress2madethedeclarationinPhiladelphia,andthatnightinthecitytherewerejoyfulcelebrationsthatsoonbecamenationwide.Eversince,the4thofJulyhasbeenmarkedintheAmericancalendarasIndependenceDay,andthereareparadesandfestivitiesofallkinds.
ThebasiccauseoftheAmericans’struggleforindependenceagainstthemothercountry,England,wastoomuchinterferenceandintolerancefromLondonandverylittleunderstandingofAmericanproblemsandpride.MostgallingtotheAmericanswastheassumptionbytheEnglishGovernmentandtheKingthattheyhadarighttotaxtheirsubjectsoverseaswithouttheirconsentandwithoutgivingthemanythinginreturn.3
TheBritishweredivided.Itwasawarinspiringnopatriotism.
AsforthetroopswhichtheGovernmentsenttofighttherebels,theywereunenthusiasticandincompetent,especiallytheirleaders.
TheAmericanshadnoarmy.Infact,itisquitepossiblethatbutfortheextraordinaryfaithandleadershipofGeorgeWashington,therevolutionmighthavecometonothing.4Hebuiltanarmythatremainedloyaltohimuntiltheend,despiteterriblehardships.Hewasatruefrontiersman.HehadseenlandsthatheknewwouldmakeanindependentAmericaamightynation.Hewasgivenvaluablesupportbythetwogreatpatriots—ThomasJeffersonandBenjaminFranklin.5ItwasFranklinwhohelpedpersuadetheFrenchtocomeintothewaragainsttheBritish.
In1781aBritisharmycommandedbyanexceptionallyincompetentgeneral,LordCornwallis,surrenderedtotheAmericansatYorktown6,Virginia,andthewarwasover.Notlongafterward,the13coloniesbecameStatesandjoinedtogetherinaUnion.
TheeffectoftheAmericanRevolutionwasfar-reaching.TheDeclarationofIndependencedrawnupbyThomasJeffersonisoneofthemostimportantdocumentseverpublished,anditdroppedlikeabombshellonthewesternworld.HerearethetwosentenceswhichshooktherulingclassesofEurope.“Weholdthesetruthstobeself-evident,thatallmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheirCreatorwithcertainunalienablerights,thatamongthesearelife,libertyandthepursuitofhappiness.”7Thesecondsen048tencewasevenmoredisturbingtothem:“Thattosecuretheserights,governmentsareinstitutedamongmen,derivingtheirjustpowersfromtheconsentofthegoverned.”
