4th Of July - Independence Day

On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence at once became the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Thomas Jefferson's most enduring monument.  Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people.  The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers.  What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.

At the time the 13 colonies were set on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation the population was 2.5 million.  Today the population of the United States of America is 313.9 million. 

As always, this most American of holidays will be celebrated by citizens with parades, fireworks and barbecues all across the country.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FROM ALL OF US AT NATIONAL WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN!

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson once said, "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but inform their discretion."