Peter de Bolla, a professor at Cambridge University and author of the recently published “The Fourth of July and the Founding of America,” has an insightful commentary about the holiday in the L.A. Times.
“For starters, the day itself, July 4, isn’t exactly America’s Independence Day,” he writes.
“On July 2, 1776, delegates from the 13 Colonies at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in fact voted to proclaim independence from King George III and his ministers.
“What happened two days later? A decision to make the July 2 decision public.”
He also said the text of the Declaration of Independence was a joint effort, not just the work of Thomas Jefferson.
“Perhaps it is best to see the Fourth of July as a story that, although not strictly speaking true, nevertheless conveys a belief: that the nation came into being on a particular day in 1776, signed, sealed and delivered,” he concludes.
Our family wishes you the best Fourth of July. We’ll be going to the Nevada City Farmers Market and riding in the parade in Grass Valley. We hope to see you.
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