DEAR READERS: Today marks the 228th year since the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
The resolution for the Declaration was introduced June 7, 1776, by Richard Henry Lee.
Do you know who seconded the motion? John Adams -- who would later become our second U.S. president.
Any idea how many states he was president of? (I confess, I had to call the public library to find out.) There were only 16 when John Adams took office.
Do you know who wrote our Declaration of Independence? A committee of five. Thomas Jefferson is credited with writing most of it, assisted by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman.
And was it enthusiastically adopted? Heck, no! The Congress "suggested" a number of changes -- and you can imagine how poor Jefferson felt about that. (About the same as any author who has to report to an editor.) Do you care to know how many changes were made by the "tweakers"? Eighty-six. (It makes one wonder if that's where the term "eighty-sixed" -- slang for someone or something ejected or rejected -- originated.)
The Lee-Adams Resolution of Independence was adopted on July 2, 1776. The Declaration, which gives the details of the resolution, was adopted on the evening of July 4.
So why don't we celebrate on July 2? Beats me -- Happy Fourth of July one and all!
Readers, as you and I celebrate our freedom, won and secured by members of our military over the years, let's remember our troops in Iraq and around the world who risk their safety every day on our behalf. Send messages of appreciation and support via www.OperationDearAbby.net. Trust me, they will be received with gratitude.