Join America's Birthday Party in America's Birthplace

Vanity

[William Tell 2]

This year's nine day festival here in Philly will feature:

On Independence Day - Justice Samuel Alito giving a speech at Independence Hall on Independence Day, the tapping of the Liberty Bell by descendants of the signers, and the laser scanning of the Liberty Bell.

Also there will be the Southwest Airlines parade and a concert on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the steps of the Art Museum by Lionel Ritchie, American Idol winner Fantasia, and the Philly Pops orchestra.

Followed by a fireworks and laser show spectacular.

On July 3 there will be another concert by Peter Nero and the Philly Pops that evening in front of Independence Hall ( this is a great concert by the way. We've been going for ten years now).

From 12n to 2pm there will be a Salsa Festival on the Ben Franklin Parkway with all the food you can eat.

There will also be a BBQ on the Battleship New Jersey.

Tonight there is a concert at Penn's Landing with CeCe Peniston ( have no idea who she is ) and the Ohio Players ( them I remember). This will also be followed a a fireworks and laser show.

There will be several other jazz and gospel concerts, a Bash at Betsy Ross's House and several readings of the Declaration.

So come on down! You already missed the first four days of the Festival.

[Diogenesis]

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands
which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate
and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect
to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people
to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles
and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
....
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled,
appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name,
and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are,
and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown,
and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levey war, conclude peace, contract alliances,
establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do.
And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

[The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America]

Ray Charles sings "America The Beautiful"

[Corin Stormhands]

Join America's Birthday Party in America's Birthplace

Yep, come on down to Jamestown where it all began almost 400 years ago. Of course the flames of revolution were fanned by Virginian Patrick Henry at St. John's Church in Richmond.

Jamestown 2007

You yankees are welcome to visit too.

Never forget that, even though the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, it took a Virginian to write it, a Virginian to lead the army and a Virginian to serve as the first President.

But, not to spoil the party. Y'all enjoy yer fireworks.

;-)

[Gabz]

Yer gonna get yerself in trouble fer that, dontch know?

[Darnright]

>Never forget that, even though the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, it took a Virginian to write it, a Virginian to lead the army and a Virginian to serve as the first President.<

Go get em, Corin! Sic Semper Tyrannus!

[AnnaZ]

Yes, but though I have zero claim to the state, nor reason thereby to compete by giving it its due, it took a man from Massachusetts to bring it all together:

[Allegra]

As a very young "thang," I spent Independence Day 1976 in Philly.

The Declaration was read out in front of Independence Hall by a man in colonial dress and then at 2 p.m., they rang the bell in the tower there 13 times.

I still remember the chills I got during all of that.

[Allegra]

But, not to spoil the party. Y'all enjoy yer fireworks.

I've gotten in trouble in Houston a few times for pointing out (with glee) that Sam Houston was born in Virginia. ;-)

[William Tell 2]

A little history lesson for you Virginians who always try to steal credit for something that was conceived, created, and implemented in Philadelphia - the Athens of the America's.

They, the people you mentioned, may have been born in Virginia but they chose Philadelphia. (BTW neither Henry nor Washington were signers of the Declaration.)

Actually your Virgnians just had a better PR team. You rebels really are good at style - not so about substance. Consider Bill Clinton as the best example of this.

The Declaration committee consisted of Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, Livingston, and Sherman. Jefferson was chosen as much for his penmanship as anything else. He wrote it here at 7th and Market Sts. in Philadelphia not in Virginia. ( Probably something to do with the air there in Virginia. Not very inspirational.)

Samuel Adams did more than Patrick Henry ever did to fan the flames and he was from Boston. Patrick Henry didn't even sign it. Probably too busy keeping his slaves in line? Little difficult to reconcile all 'men are created equal' with owning slaves is it not? John Adams pointed that out to Thomas Jefferson more than 200 years ago.

It was a Philadelphian, Thomas Paine, who really fanned the flames to declare independence. A little booklet called Common Sense. So simple, even a Virginian could read it.

North Carolina was the first to instruct their representatives to vote for independence if proposed. Rhode Island was the first to declare independence.

It was another Philadelphian, Robert Morris, who financed the Revolution so Washington could where his fancy uniform and have his teeth fixed. Morris was only one of two Founders who signed all three documents: Declaration, Articles and Constitution.

Another Philadelphian, George Clymer,also provided funds for the Revolution.

George Taylor, a Pennsylvania Founder, was the armorer for the army. Washington would have been throwing rocks if it weren't for him.

James Wilson later became one of the first justices of the Supreme Court and was one of the chief contributors to the Constitution.

Of course, Franklin's contributions need no mention.

Youse Virginians can yap all you want about Jamestown - most famous as the first place in the colonies to have slaves. Normal people will come to Philadelphia - which along with Jerusalem, Athens, and London, are the most important cities in the history of Western Civilization.

[Verginius Rufus]

It's not widely known that New England was named by Captain John Smith, the man who led Jamestown through its most difficult period and kept it from failing entirely.

Not far from Jamestown is Yorktown, the decisive victory of the Revolutionary War.

[Gabz]

Normal people will come to Philadelphia - which along with Jerusalem, Athens, and London, are the most important cities in the history of Western Civilization.

Them there are fightin' words..............and I do not say that as a Virginian, even though I live here, but as a native New Yorker.

[William Tell 2]

I notice how you say "failing entirely" which is exactly my point about Virginians :)

[William Tell 2]

The truth is a difficult thing for some. Nonetheless it is the truth :)

Besides being a New Yorker is not exactly something I would be proud about. Outside of spending more money for sports championships per capita than any other city in the industrialized world - stockmarket fraud, and mob murders there ain't a heckuvalot NY is known for.

Oh yeah Broadway plays. OK, I'll give you that one.

Then again NY has got the UN so that kind of balances it out.

[William Tell 2]

I was there that day as well. Heard President Ford's speech and even got some movie footage of him.

When you return from Iraq stop by.

In the meantime go to http://www.americasbirthday.com/eventlistings.asp

[EDINVA]

"I still remember the chills I got during all of that."

I still get chills and a tear in my eye, just READING the Declaration, or even an excerpt.

Even tho I'm a Virginian (by choice, not birth), and agree with Corin, a trip to Philadelphia and Independence Hall should be required for all Americans (that is, after they've visited Jamestown, Williamsburg, St. John's Church in Richmond, Mt. Vernon, Gunston Hall, Monticello, etc)

[Tribune7]

And one of the best events in the suburbs is the Marple Newtown 4th of July Parade.

[Gabz]

I left NYC more than 20 years ago.

I would go easy on the insults to people from New York and Virginia.......Philadelphia (and all of PA for that matter) is not exactly the hotbed of honesty and integrity it may have been at one time.

[William Tell 2]

Philly and PA have NEVER EVER been paragons of virtue. Philly was corrupt from the day Penn stepped off the boat.
It's eve worse now.

However it is America's birthplace - despite what the Virginians say.

[Gabz]

And Delaware will always remain the FIRST state.........despite what Philadelphians say.

[Verginius Rufus]

What I was thinking of was that the situation at Jamestown remained precarious even after Capt. John Smith left...at one point the settlers all abandoned the colony and sailed down the James River, only to encounter an expedition on its way to Jamestown with fresh supplies, whereupon they went back to Jamestown. It didn't really prosper until they learned to produce tobacco as a cash crop.