Clifton Forge Main Street will be celebrating the 4th of July with a Stars and Stripes Parade at 11:00 a.m. followed by a Veterans and First Responders ceremony at 12:00 p.m. at the Historic Masonic Theater. The parade theme this year is “Honoring Veterans and First Responders”. Please come out and help Clifton Forge Main Street celebrate these special veterans and first responders in our community.
What an exciting day it must have been on July 4, 1776, when the Founding Father delegates declared the 13 colonies no longer subject to the monarch of Britain! On July 2nd Congress voted to approve by passing the Lee Resolution and on July 4th, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. These words will forever be instilled in our minds: 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 following description from Wikipedia of July 4th is still in style today so it seemed appropriate to share. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States. The 4th of July was not declared a federal holiday until 1938.
Some key dates leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence:
April 19, 1775 – the start of the American Revolution. The first shots were fired between colonists and British troops increasing tension between Britain and her American colonists.
July 2, 1776 – Second Continental Congress voted for independence from Britain.
July 4, 1776 – Two days later Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.
July 8 -The first public reading of the Declaration took place at the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall in Philadelphia).
August 2, 1776 – Declaration was officially signed. John Hancock, President of the Congress, was the first of 56 delegates to sign. Visit our National Archives in our Nation’s Capital to see this document.
Happy 4th of July to everyone and always let freedom ring.
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