Over the River and Through the Woods: Taking Stock of Your Loved One’s Well-being at Holiday Time
December 21, 2023 No Comments
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This coming Monday, July 4, we celebrate Independence Day, honoring the Declaration of Independence, which was signed 246 years ago. This foundational document was the first step in forming the United States of America, which then consisted of 13 colonies along the eastern seaboard.
Many of us celebrate this holiday each year with fireworks, cookouts with friends and family, and a day off, if we’re lucky. Willow Brook residents across all three of our campuses will be watching parades, attending musical performances and special parties, and visiting with loved ones. All of this because of The Declaration of Independence!
But how much do you really know about this historical document? We at The Babbling Brook got curious, and put together a little holiday trivia for you. Without further ado, The Babbling Brook presents:
Did you know…
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but not signed by the majority of representatives until August 2, 1776. The last person to sign was Matthew Thornton, on November 4, 1776.
Did you know…
The Declaration listed 27 grievances against the King George III of Great Britain, and his “establishment of an absolute tyranny over the states.”
Did you know…
Though it is not a legal document, the Declaration of Independence refers to three “rights”: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. None of these are present in the Constitution of the United States.
Did you know…
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration, was also the author of The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth (1820), also referred to as The Jefferson Bible, which contained Jesus’s moral teachings and specific passages of Jesus’s life. An 84-page work, it was made in four columns with Greek and Latin pasted on one side and French and English on the other.
Did you know…
The signers of the Declaration of Independence knew that signing this document was a risk. Benjamin Rush, a representative of Pennsylvania, wrote that signing the document “was believed by many at the time to be our own death warrants.” The British did target the Founding Fathers, destroying and looting many of their homes. Four signers were captured by the British (George Walton, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward Rutledge). All four were eventually released.
Did you know…
The oldest signer of the Declaration was Benjamin Franklin, who was 70 years old. The youngest were Edward Rutledge and Thomas Lynch, Jr., who were both 26.
Did you know…
By July 9, 1776, when news of the Declaration of Independence reached New York City, it started a riot. Revolution was in the air, and hundreds of British naval ships occupied New York Harbor. Military tensions were running high. George Washington, commander of the Continental forces in New York, read the document aloud in front of City Hall. A raucous crowd cheered the inspiring words, and later that day tore down a nearby statue of George III. The statue was later melted down and shaped into more than 42,000 musket balls for the fledgling American army.
Did you know…
Every July 4, the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not rung) 13 times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
Did you know…
American Loyalists (approximately 20 percent of the population during the Revolutionary War) rejected the Declaration of Independence. Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain and the king during the American Revolutionary War. Those who supported the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence were called Patriots.
Did you know…
If the Revolutionary War had been lost, the Declaration of Independence would have been nothing but evidence of treason. There’s no telling what kind of history we’d be talking about today.