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Happy Fourth of July




Thanks for stopping by our Fourth of July Page. This site is for Sammy and Aurora.  We want to tell you all about ourselves, our clubs, our friends, and our interests. We also have set up a memorial page for the other kitties who have gone on to the Rainbow Bridge.  Hope you will enjoy visiting us! Please sign our guestbook below.  Feel Free to send us e-mail with any comments. Thanks for visiting us!

 




Remember Jesus on the 4th of July
by
Marilyn Ferguson

We gather ‘round to celebrate
On Independence Day
Pay homage to our country
As the children run and play.

With barbeques and picnics
And fireworks in the air
The flag we own is proudly flown
To show how much we care.

The stars and stripes spell freedom
She waves upon the breeze
While bursts of colors can be seen
Above the towering trees.

This is all quite wonderful
We revel in delight
But God above in divine love
Has brought this day to light.

With just a stroke of liberty
A touch of His great hand
He gave democracy to us
And helped this country stand.

The stripes upon our stately flag
Were touched by His sweet grace
Each star of white that shines so bright
Reflects His loving face.

So as you turn to face the flag
For battles that were fought
Be filled with pride for those who died
And freedoms that were bought.

But don’t forget to thank the One
That gives the bright display
The reason why we paint the sky
On Independence Day

(c)2003 Marilyn Ferguson



Journey Home Country Boy
***
Journey home country boy,
The last trip you must take,
Tears are falling like the rain,
Many hearts now surely ache.

You are one of the fallen,
Faithful till the end of the day.
Through fate you are here now,
Life should not have ended this way.

Always ready and willing to give,
Even as you lay your life down,
Many will gather to honor you,
A fallen hero flags surround.

Journey home country boy,
The last trip you must take,
You served your country well,
Duties you ne'er forsake.

Mom and Dad's hearts are breaking.
Their child now gone forever more,
A folded flag to replace you,
Peace, their hearts sadly implore.

Look around and remember,
The proud young serviceman,
Gallantly standing in harm's way,
He answered each command.

Journey home country boy,
Hearts filled with sorrow ache.
Your journey has now ended,
You died for freedom’s sake.

Gayle Davis©




Happy 4th of July

Fireworks and picnics
Across the USA
People joined together
In harmonious display

Sounds of jubilation
Ring out loud and clear
Patriots together
Standing up to cheer

Freedom of this nation
With special love this day
Time for great rejoicing
This festive holiday

Colors born of freedom
Flying through the air
Fireworks are sparkling
Dazzling lights so near

Moments filled with glory
For blessings we receive
Freedom of a nation
With many goals achieved

Blessings from the Father
Our nation and it's sons
For sacrifices given
That bind us all as one.

~ Francine Pucillo©~







History of the Fourth of July

Independence Day in the U.S., is an annual holiday commemorating the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories of the U.S.


The holiday was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776, at which time the Declaration of Independence was read aloud, city bells rang, and bands played. It was not declared a legal holiday, however, until 1941. The Fourth is traditionally celebrated publicly with parades and pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and cannons and displays of fireworks; early in the 20th century public concern for a "safe and sane" holiday resulted in restrictions on general use of fireworks. Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of July celebrations. Source: from History.com

 

Cats Marching

The Pledge of Allegiance

I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one Nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

 

Happy 4th of July

America the Beautiful
Author, Katharine Lee Bates - written in 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

 

Star liner



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Bear in Wagon
 
History of the Fourth of July

America celebrates July 4 as Independence Day because it was on July 4, 1776, that members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

Spontaneous Celebrations

Following its adoption, the Declaration was read to the public in various American cities. Whenever they heard it, patriots erupted in cheers and celebrations.

In 1777, Philadelphians remembered the 4th of July. Bells were rung, guns fired, candles lighted, and firecrackers set off. However, while the War of Independence dragged on, July 4 celebrations were modest at best.

When the war ended in 1783, July 4 became a holiday in some places. In Boston, it replaced the date of the Boston Massacre, March 5, as the major patriotic holiday. Speeches, military events, parades, and fireworks marked the day. In 1941, Congress
declared July 4 a federal holiday.

Picnics and Games

Over time, various other summertime activities also came to be associated with the Fourth of July, including historical pageants, picnics, baseball games, watermelon-eating contests, and trips to the beach. Common foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, apple pie, cole slaw, and sometimes clam bakes.

Colonial Attractions

While the Fourth is celebrated across the country, historic cities like Boston and Philadelphia draw huge crowds to their festivities.

In Boston, the USS John F. Kennedy often sails into the harbor, while the Boston Pops Orchestra holds a televised concert on the banks of the Charles River, featuring American music and ending with the 1812 Overture.

Philadelphia holds its celebrations at Independence Hall, where historic scenes are reenacted and the Declaration of Independence is read.



 

More History


Though the Fourth of July is iconic to Americans, some claim the date itself is somewhat arbitrary. New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 4, 1776. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously, but secretly, for independence from Great Britain on July 2 (the Lee Resolution) and appointed Thomas Jefferson to write a draft.

The Congress reworked the draft until a little after eleven o’clock, July 4, when twelve colonies voted for adoption (New York courteously abstained from both votes) & released copy to the printers signed only by John Hancock, President of the Congress, and Secretary Charles Thomson. Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8. Not until August 2 would a fair printing be signed by the members of the Congress, but even that was kept secret to protect the members from possible British reprisals.


John Adams, credited by Thomas Jefferson as the unofficial, tireless whip of the independence-minded, wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776: The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.


Modern readers commonly assume that by "illuminations", Adams meant fireworks. Actually, he referred to the eighteenth century custom of marking a public celebration by encouraging householders to place a lighted candle in every window. In that streetlamp era, the effect was dramatic. Fireworks did not enter Fourth of July celebrations until late in the nineteenth century, mostly because they are very expensive. Early twentith century Americans celebrated by firing guns into the air. Towns that possessed a cannon would fire it, and where the militia paraded, they would fire salutes.


Adams was off by two days, however. Certainly, the vote on July 3 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date that Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was officially adopted and was the first day Philadelphians heard any concrete news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.


Source: Wikipedia.org






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