How lucky are we to live in a country as great as the United States of America? Can I get an Amen?! As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our great nation, let’s take a moment to reflect on the last 241 years and appreciate the freedom our Founding Fathers so valiantly fought for. We all know the basics – the Declaration of Independence was issued on July 4, 1776, which proclaimed that the thirteen former British colonies would become sovereign states. Sayonara British Empire! But did you know it wasn’t signed until August 2?
To help deepen your bond with America, here are some other fun facts about our good ol’ U.S. of A.:
- Nine of the signers of the Declaration of Independence died before the American Revolution ended in 1783. But their memory is still alive and well today!
- The only signer of the Declaration of Independence to survive beyond the 50th anniversary of the signing was Charles Carroll of Maryland. The guy must have had some good genes!
- No one who signed the Declaration of Independence was born in the United States of America. As Lin Manuel-Miranda said as he brilliantly portrayed Alexander Hamilton in his Broadway hit, “Immigrants, we get the job done!”
- An estimated one in ten of us could be a blood relative to one of the original 102 pilgrims who arrived aboard the Mayflower in 1620. Might be why we all love Thanksgiving so much.
- The oldest bar in America was built in 1668. Located just north of NYC in Tappan, NY, ’76 House still stands today. I guess America has always been a country full of lushes, hence the Prohibition period. Clearly that didn’t stop us.
As my parting gift, I’ll leave you with this infographic so you can better acquaint yourself with our beloved Land of the Free. Now go throw on your best red, white and blue, crack open a cold one and grill up some burgers as you pay homage this Independence Day.
