It's an inspiring time that reconnects us with the foundation of the USA as we celebrate the pivotal days in July 1776 that birthed the United States of America.
Following the conclusion of the conflict between Britain and France in 1763, tensions built between Britain and its 13 North American colonies as the British government steadily increased control over colonial affairs. As the colonists resisted, the British government reacted more intensely, until the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, triggered war, and accelerated momentum for the colonies' independence. The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, and over the succeeding weeks, they took several decisive actions, including the establishment of an army.
At the session of the Congress on June 7, 1776, Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee presented the following resolution: "Resolved. That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."
After some initial discussion, the Congress decided to hold a vote on the resolution on July 1 and the colonies used the intervening time for further consideration. Meanwhile, Congress appointed a committee to draft a document explaining the move for independence should it be needed, and Virginia delegate Thomas Jefferson was its primary author.
On July 1, Congress opened debate on the resolution. The following day, Tuesday, July 2, 1776, they adopted the independence resolution by a unanimous vote. After discussing Thomas Jefferson's draft, they adopted the Declaration of Independence on Thursday, July 4.
Following several more years of war, the American colonists won a decisive victory at Yorktown against the British in October 1781. On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris 1783 formally concluded the war, and the United States of America became fully independent.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Independence Resolution in 2026, this year provides a good opportunity to commemorate the events that hastened the momentum toward independence, when armed conflict erupted in Massachusetts. Wanting to connect with that history, I traveled to the Boston Metro Area before heading south for my annual Washington, DC, Metro Area vacation. (You can read about my trip here. As of the publishing of this post, the text of my vacation post is there, but I'm still working on getting pictures in place. Please feel free to contact me if you want to know when the post on my vacation is complete, including the photos.)
The amount of history I experienced in the course of a few hours in the Boston Metro Area was exhilarating as I made my way from downtown Boston to Lexington and then on to Concord.
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| The Lexington Battle Green |
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| Someone passing by photographed me at the Battle Green in Lexington. |
One site that resonated with me was the monument at the Old North Bridge in Concord, MA--please see the photo below. It has an inscription bearing the first stanza of the poem "The Concord Hymn".
In 7th grade, I selected this poem for an assignment in which I had to memorize a poem, speech, or other writing. When I was in middle school, I experienced a blossoming of my person, especially in understanding the history of the USA and my place in this country as a citizen. In that time, I became drawn to the story of how this country came into existence, so I decided that poem would be a good choice for that assignment. The fourth stanza has a profound phrase: "Spirit, that made those heroes dare..."
A spirit was present in those who decided to take action and chart a new course that birthed this country. And that spirit continues to spur us to action in our present day.
In light of the US Army's 250th Anniversary, so many have nobly served to uphold and defend this country throughout those many years, driven by a spirit of something larger than themselves. They have done so much to make possible our national experience today.
I think about my work on the frontlines on Election Day, April 1, 2025. I was up around 4 AM and around 5 AM, after a short walk, I was at the Brooks Middle School gym to begin my duties as an election judge. After serving several times as an election judge for precinct 16 at the Maze Branch Library, I was in a different spot, and I was actually serving for my own precinct.
Even with the voters trickling in throughout the day, it was another great opportunity to serve the community by helping facilitate the democratic process of the republic in the matter of local affairs. It was nice spending time with my fellow election judges, one of whom is a neighbor, and also seeing other neighbors on my block and nearby. Even if local races don't have the same prominence as the presidential election, they still have an important impact on our community. I am continually inspired when I'm an election judge and see people from all walks of life and backgrounds coming to participate in the process.
It's fitting in some ways that I served as an election judge inside a middle school, because it was at Julian Middle School that I experienced a burst of patriotic inspiration to appreciate my part in this country and contribute to it. It wasn't just inside the walls of Julian. Every Friday during 6th grade, I came home to watch Liberty's Kids, with episodes on events of the founding era. It was on a July day in 2003 that I watched the final episode, and seeing George Washington's inauguration stirred an enormous amount of palpable inspiration in me. It's probably one moment I would go to if I could time travel. Indeed, I came to appreciate this country's story and my place in this country, sensing a call to do my part in upholding it. That's what motivated me in 8th grade to ask Dr. Sharts, the principal, if I could lead the school in the Pledge of Allegiance for the final two regular school days my 8th grade year, after nearly a month of its absence. It was a great honor to finish my middle school experience taking up that role.
Coming to appreciate my part in the USA, and the story of its founding, has brought me to embrace the spirit of what we celebrate during the first days of July. It is furthermore a time to appreciate our values as a country, as we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of Independence in a year. Also, we can appreciate what our values mean on the world stage since the election of Leo XIV as the first US-born Pope.
I found this song, "God Bless America" on YouTube, and I am inspired by its soaring lyrics that show how we can flourish as one nation under God.
I hope recognizing this country's founding story inspires you anew to embrace our God-given freedoms so we can together purposefully edify this country.
To the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the USA,
To the Dove and the Eagle.
God's blessings to you readers,
God bless the USA!
Paul
Huzzah!
P.S. Here's a link to the 2025 Annual July 4 ceremony at the National Archives. It airs live at 10 AM ET/9 AM ET. It should be available for viewing later.
This post is my annual Patriotic Greetings post. You can view previous years' posts at these links: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. If you would like a print copy of this note, please contact me.
Please feel free to share this year's post, or any previous year's post, with others.
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