Sometimes the truth is distilled. The statement, “The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776,” is one such distillation.
The Declaration of Independence was actually accepted by the colonies on Saturday, July 2, 1776 (not unanimously, I might add). Apparently even legal documents back then needed to be dated on a business day.
The signing (actual pen to paper) of the declaration began on August 2 and wasn’t completed until after January 1777.
Of course what I have written above takes much more time and energy than just quickly saying, “The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.” We have distilled the facts down to their essence.
Indeed, John Adams in a letter to his wife, wrote: “The second day of July 1776 will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America.” Too bad he didn’t know what we know now.
Over this holiday weekend keep your sense of vujà dé. Don’t take things at face value. Question everything – even your own biases. Try visiting with Uncle Zeno as if you’ve never met him before. You’ll be surprised at how interesting the crazy old geezer is!
Stay curious!
– Idearella
References: US Government Archives, Babled, Dr. Thomas Hughes (formerly my History instructor at UH – before he wrote this book)
[...] did this with history. It’s not my bag. I did have a great history prof in college who made things come alive. But I still just wanted to get through. Focusing on the [...]