It's not too soon to start planning your Fourth of July festivities!
There will be the traditional parades, picnics, fireworks, harborfests and carnivals, as well as family gatherings, camping trips, RVing and barbecues - along with good old-fashioned cooking.
Please feel free to post your favorite recipes to share with us all!
Wishing you a star-spangled 4th of July -
Kitchen Witch
Although July 4th is celebrated as America's official split from Britain's rule and the beginning of the American Revolution, the actual series of events show that the process took far longer than a single day. The original resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776, and called for the Continental Congress to declare the United States free from British rule. Three days later a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson was appointed to prepare an appropriate writing for the occasion.
The document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress on July 4th although the resolution that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved two days earlier.
All of this had occurred with some of the delegates to the Congress not even present; New York, for example, did not even vote on the resolution until July 9th.
Even more interesting is the fact that not a single signature was appended to the Declaration on July 4th. While most of the fifty-six names were in place by early August, one signer, Thomas McKean, did not actually sign the Declaration until 1781.
Nevertheless, July 4th was the day singled out to mark the event of the United States establishing itself as a nation.
Who was Uncle Sam?
While no one is actually sure of his origins, Uncle Sam has been with us since the early 1800s. In all likelihood, he was the hybrid of two different beginnings.
The name "Uncle Sam" appears to have been given to a man named Samuel Wilson, who slaughtered and supplied large amounts of meat to the newly formed United States Army. His shipping crates carried the stamp "U.S." which someone, jokingly or otherwise, suggested stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson, and this nickname came to symbolize the Federal Government.
While Sam Wilson may have been the source of the name "Uncle Sam," he was not the inspiration of the image. For one thing, Wilson was clean-shaven while the caricatures of Uncle Sam all show a man with a white [Uncle Sam] beard. The creator of the image of Uncle Sam, as we know him, was Thomas Nast, a nineteenth century political cartoonist who started drawing the star-spangled red-white-and-blue-suited symbol of American identity.
Uncle Sam was not the only character Nast drew. His other character, dressed similarly, was "Brother Jonathan" or Yankee Doodle. The difference in the two characters was pronounced, though: Brother Jonathan always was depicted clean-shaven and with a feather in his cap; Uncle Sam always appeared with the beard and often with top hat.
Although first appearing in 1838 in the Nast illustrations, the most common image of the elder statesman of America is the World War I poster drawn by James Montgomery Flagg for Army Recruitment with the caption "I WANT YOU!"
No matter what Uncle Sam's roots may be, he has become a symbol, recognized throughout the world, of American resolve, strength and determination.
The Liberty Bell: America's most beloved icon.
1781- The first official state celebration as recognized under resolve of a legislature occured in Massachusetts; at Newport, R.I., the militia hosts French officers at a celebration dinner
1801- The first public Fourth of July reception at the White House occured
1804- The first Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi occured at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
1805- Boston has its first fireworks display; in Charleston, S.C., the American Revolution Society and the Society of the Cincinnati meet at St. Philips Church
1866- General George G. Meade watches 10,000 war veterans parade in Philadelphia; the Nashville Banner, in an editorial, urges its citizens not to celebrate the Fourth
1876- Centennial celebrations (many are three-day celebrations, 3-5 July) occur throughout the United States and abroad
1884- The formal presentation of the Statue of Liberty takes place in the Gauthier workshop in Paris
1887- First Fourth of July celebration in Yellowstone National Park takes place
1912- The new national flag with 48 stars is "formally and officially endowed"
1926- The 150th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence takes place throughout the nation
1960- The 50th-star American flag waves for the first time as Hawaii is given statehood
1976- The nation's Bicentennial occurs.
4th of July Quiz
Do you remember why the United States Flag has 13 stripes and how many stars there are?
Let's see if you remember a little something from history class.
Q: What are the colors of the United States Flag?
A: Red, white and blue
Q: What do the colors represent?
A: Red stands for courage, white for truth and blue for justice
Q: How many stripes are there on the United States Flag?
A: 13
Q: Why 13?
A: Each stripe represents one of the 13 original states
Q: How many stars are there on the flag?
A: There are 50 stars, each represents one of the present state
Q: What is the 4th of July?
A: Independence Day?
Q: Independence from whom?
A: Britain (England)