Happy Fourth of July

238 Years and Counting

      1776-2013

We will happily celebrate Independence Day aka Fourth of July once again. This special holiday falls on Thursday this year. Millions of Americans will enjoy a mini vacation away from work until Monday, July 8. In the 1700s, Americans fought to gain our independence, and we have fought many times over the 238 years to keep it.

Our nation is at war at the present time that George W. Bush started. If everything goes as planned, the war in Afghanistan will end for the United States at the end of 2014. Hallelujah!

Abraham Lincoln made our independence the centerpiece of his rhetoric (as in the Gettysburg Address) of 1863. Since then, it has become a major statement on human rights, its second sentence:

"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."

The Republican members of our present US Congress have only one think in mind. How can this high-paying job help me and my family? They could not be water boys for the great men we refer to as Founding Fathers. This is a little history of how America was founded.

1754 - Lieutenant Colonel George Washington is compelled to surrender “Fort Necessity” to a French task force from Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh). Washington had been dispatched by Virginia’s governor with a mixed force of soldiers of the Virginia Provincial Regiment and Virginia militiamen to remove the French from Duquesne which was located in an area claimed by colonial government. When his advanced was blocked by the French Washington had his troops build a quickly constructed log fort in hopes of holding the French at bay. However, he was soon surrounded and forced to surrender. The French commander granted him the “honors of war” by allowing him to march out with colors flying, retaining one piece of artillery and with his men under arms. This rebuff of the claim by Virginia, and by extension Britain, to this area led directly to the outbreak of war between France and Britain in 1756. Known in Europe as the Seven Year’s War in American it’s more popularly called the “French and Indian War.” The men serving in the Virginia Provincial Regiment were full-time paid soldiers, mostly enlisted from the county militias. They were paid and equipped by the colony and used to garrison small outposts and patrol its western frontier. It was one of the first “professional” military organizations in British North America.

1776 - The Continental Congress approved adoption of the amended Declaration of Independence, prepared by Thomas Jefferson and signed by John Hancock--President of the Continental Congress--and Charles Thomson, Congress secretary, without dissent. However, the New York delegation abstained as directed by the New York Provisional Congress. On July 9, the New York Congress voted to endorse the declaration. On July 19, Congress then resolved to have the "Unanimous Declaration" inscribed on parchment for the signature of the delegates. Among the signers of the Declaration of Independence, two went on to become presidents of the United States, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

1776 - The Declaration of Independence was signed by president of Congress John Hancock and secretary Charles Thomson. John Hancock said, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that." referring to his signature on the Declaration of Independence. Other signers later included Benjamin Rush and Robert Morris. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, eight were born outside North America.Eight men (George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Elbridge Gerry, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, James Wilson, and George Wythe) would go on to sign the Constitution. Only two of them, Roger Sherman and Robert Morris signed the Articles of Confederation and thus were signatories to all three of the basic founding documents.

On July 4th when congress accepted the Declaration the entire contingent from the Colony of New York was awaiting approval to sign. Some members of the Continental Congress had either not been elected yet or were enroute to Philadelphia from their home colonies. So though the Declaration in it's final form had been adopted by Congress on July 4th, the official signing of the final form as displayed did not begin until July 19th, when the New York delegation received formal approval to sign and thus the votes of the majority of delegates from every colony made the vote for the declaration unanimous. After that new signatures to the document were added as members that were away or new members just elected came to Philadelphia. The majority of the signatures on the document were affixed on August 2nd, 1776 and the final one, that of Thomas McKean a representative of Delaware was not added until 1781.

Of the 56 delegates that signed Benjamin Franklin at age 70 was the oldest and Edward Rutledge at age 26 was the youngest.

Religious affiliations of the Signatories.

32 were Episcopalian/Anglican (Note: Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson fit into this category but they are listed as "Episcopalian-Deist")

13 were Congregationalists

12 were Presbyterian

2 were Quaker

2 were Unitarian or Universalist (Note: John Adams was one of these)

1 was Catholic.

Thus all the signors of the Declaration were affiliated to one degree of another with a Christian sect. Four of them were or had been full time ministers or preachers and several more were the sons of preachers. (Note: During this time in American history and for decades afterwards ministers and preachers generally made their livings as educators by running their own boarding schools and all educated Gentlemen of the day spent some of their youth in one or several of these schools.)


1777 - John Paul Jones hoists first Stars and Stripes flag on Ranger at Portsmouth, NH.

1785 - The first Fourth of July parade was held in Bristol, Rhode Island. It served as a prayerful walk to celebrate independence from England.

1796 - 1st Independence Day celebration was held.

1800 - The Marine Band played at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, in their first public appearance.

Korean War begins

25 June 1950

After serving with Lewis B. 'Chesty' Pulller as my commanding office in World War II, I served with him once again in the Korean War. This was my last war. I retired before the Vietnam War. ~NOAH

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Armed forces from communist North Korea smash into South Korea, setting off the Korean War. The United States, acting under the auspices of the United Nations, quickly sprang to the defense of South Korea and fought a bloody and frustrating war for the next three years.

Korea, a former Japanese possession, had been divided into zones of occupation following World War II. U.S. forces accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in southern Korea, while Soviet forces did the same in northern Korea. Like in Germany, however, the "temporary" division soon became permanent. The Soviets assisted in the establishment of a communist regime in North Korea, while the United States became the main source of financial and military support for South Korea.

On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces surprised the South Korean army (and the small U.S. force stationed in the country), and quickly headed toward the capital city of Seoul. The United States responded by pushing a resolution through the U.N.'s Security Council calling for military assistance to South Korea. (Russia was not present to veto the action as it was boycotting the Security Council at the time.) With this resolution in hand, President Harry S. Truman rapidly dispatched U.S. land, air, and sea forces to Korea to engage in what he termed a "police action." The American intervention turned the tide, and U.S. and South Korean forces marched into North Korea. This action, however, prompted the massive intervention of communist Chinese forces in late 1950. The war in Korea subsequently bogged down into a bloody stalemate. In 1953, the United States and North Korea signed a cease-fire that ended the conflict. The cease-fire agreement also resulted in the continued division of North and South Korea at just about the same geographical point as before the conflict.

The Korean War was the first "hot" war of the Cold War. Over 55,000 American troops were killed in the conflict. Korea was the first "limited war," one in which the U.S. aim was not the complete and total defeat of the enemy, but rather the "limited" goal of protecting South Korea. For the U.S. government, such an approach was the only rational option in order to avoid a third world war and to keep from stretching finite American resources too thinly around the globe. It proved to be a frustrating experience for the American people, who were used to the kind of total victory that had been achieved in World War II. The public found the concept of limited war difficult to understand or support and the Korean War never really gained popular support.

This Month in History: Flag Day June 14
(Thanks to my Cousin Tom Belew and his wife Eleanor, for sending this to me from their home in Loveland, Colorado)

Flag Day, June 14 The Second Continental Congress determined the design of the American flag on Saturday, June 14, 1777. Within the Papers of the Continental Congress on Fold3, we can view the resolution in both the rough journal entry and the transcript journal entry. The latter reads: Resolved that the flag of the thirteen united states be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation. Thus was born the famous Stars and Stripes, a flag design that evolved over time as more states joined the Union. There are now 50 stars where there were once 13, and the nation has witnessed 236 years of a unique history. Much of that history is documented in the military records on Fold3, a site which incorporates the U.S. flag into its logo.* Flag Day is now recognized on June 14, the "birthday" of the Stars and Stripes, as a result of the efforts of a Wisconsin teacher, Bernard John Cigrand. The National Flag Day Foundation explains on its website: In Waubeka, Wisconsin, in 1885, Bernard John Cigrand a nineteen-year-old school teacher in a one-room school placed a 10"" 38-star flag in an inkwell and had his students write essays on what the flag meant to them. He called June 14th the flag's birthday. Stony Hill School is now a historical site. From that day on Bernard J. Cigrand dedicated himself to inspire not only his students but also all Americans in the real meaning and majesty of our flag. As a result of Cigrand's efforts, Flag Day was officially proclaimed by President Wilson in 1916 to be celebrated on the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777. It was President Truman, however, who signed an Act of Congress on August 3, 1949, establishing June 14 as Flag Day in the United States. *Fold3's name and logo were created in honor of our military heroes. Traditionally, the third fold in a flag-folding ceremony honors and remembers veterans for their sacrifice in defending their country and promoting peace in the world. 150th Anniversary (1863–2013) This Month in the Civil War: Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle on American soil and the first battle of the Gettysburg campaign. It took place in Virginia on June 9, 1863, between the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac led by Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasanton and the Confederate Cavalry led by Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Pleasanton’s forces surprised Stuart’s men twice that day, crossing the Rappahannock early in the morning at Beverly’s Ford and later in the day at Kelly’s Ford. It caused Stuart great embarrassment among his peers that he was caught unawares and by a more adept cavalry than they had anticipated. While Stuart claimed victory by holding the field after ten hours of fighting, the battle has historically been deemed a draw. While Union casualties were greater, its cavalry exhibited a strength and expertise that surprised the Rebels, indicating that tougher battles lay ahead. 150th Anniversary (1863–2013) This Month in the Civil War: Brandy Station The Battle of Brandy Station was the largest cavalry battle on American soil and the first battle of the Gettysburg campaign. It took place in Virginia on June 9, 1863, between the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac led by Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasanton and the Confederate Cavalry led by Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Pleasanton’s forces surprised Stuart’s men twice that day, crossing the Rappahannock early in the morning at Beverly’s Ford and later in the day at Kelly’s Ford. It caused Stuart great embarrassment among his peers that he was caught unawares and by a more adept cavalry than they had anticipated. While Stuart claimed victory by holding the field after ten hours of fighting, the battle has historically been deemed a draw. While Union casualties were greater, its cavalry exhibited a strength and expertise that surprised the Rebels, indicating that tougher battles lay ahead. Find your Civil War ancestors on one of the largest Civil War collections online. Explore now »