A Brief History of America's Independence




Two-hundred thirty-six years ago today, some of the greatest men our country has ever known pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor so that we, the people of this great nation might be free. I can't begin to imagine what must have been going through the minds of our founding fathers as they each courageously signed their names to that now famous piece of parchment inside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1776. The signing of our declaration by the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams had been years in the making. Those living in the colonies, including those now famous members of the Second Continental Congress, had been subjected to the oppressive rule of King George III for quite some time. The King had deprived the colonists of their basic liberties such as the right to trial by jury, the right to free trade, and the right to be free from taxation without representation. This final grievance was the straw that broke the camel's back. After learning that George III was planning on levying taxes on the colonists to help repay war debts, those living in the colonies decided to take action. Several meetings of the colonies would be held in the coming years to protest the actions of the King. These included the Stamp Act Congress, the First Continental Congress, and finally the Second Continental Congress which produced our Declaration of Independence. Numerous political protests were occurring in the colonies at this time as well. In 1773, several hundred colonists dressed as Indians, dumped close to three-hundred and fifty chests of tea into Boston Harbor in what came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. It is literally quite fascinating to examine the ideological and philosophical changes that took place in the minds of our nation's earliest leaders at this time. This transformation in thinking took place sometime between the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress as delegates came to believe that the only way to secure independence was to do so militarily rather than diplomatically. Previous attempts at diplomacy had failed, and the members of the Second Continental Congress knew that the only way that Britain would take the colonists seriously would be through an act of war. The Congress promptly named George Washington commander of the newly organizing Continental Army, and as they say, the rest is history. Thanks to the courage and determination of our forefathers as well as those who served in the Continental Army, we were able to defeat the strongest military in the world at the time, and secure our freedom. Over the last two-hundred and thirty-six years, the freedom of our great nation has been challenged, and will continue to be. It is only through the sacrifice of many that the liberty of all has been preserved. May that serve as the true legacy of this great and glorious day.