Show JULY SECOND THE DAY HISTORIAN SAYS REAL HEAL independence JS IS NOT OT THE FOURTH colonies plade made declaration against england 11 previous revlow to drawing historical paper rinal final lell ll of document un on auguet Se und according to the opinions of the latest historical authorities both the school children of by bygone coile lays days and those of tile the present time have been taught incorrectly us lui to the proper independence day of tile the nation no ono one date seems to develop such excitable emotions as does doea tile the mention of tile the fourth of july but how unattractive would it seem it we were to state that the second of july Is tile day of fire crackers bombs and roman candles and yet according to mr william 11 II michael chief clerk cleric and historian of the department of state the real independence day Is the second of july since we bent over our childhood histories we have always hall had an idea ide a that our fathers severed the ties with great britain on the fourth of july 1776 and we have had word of no less an authority than thomas jefferson Jef feison author of that hallowed instrument that the declaration was signed on that date on whose anniversary th the e great father of democrat democracy cy died but MT arr el says na and fory cars s he has tolled for his country beneath t the he same roof which shelters shel teis tile the sacr sacred ed document has had the nations archives at its his fingers ends INDI independence nai 1 ON JULY 2 0 tile the independence of tile the united states was declared by resolution on oil the ad of july and the adoption of tile the form of declaration on the ath of july was a secondary matter says mr michael it Is a little strange that more importance was not attached to the ad of july in connection with the declaration of independence the resolution introduced by richard henry lee was passed on that day clay july 2 1770 this was really the vital point the crucial juncture the real act of independence which mr michael has hall had reproduced in facsimile was then tile the lee resolution declaring 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 ind find that till nil political connect connection lon between them and the state of great britain is and ought to bo be totally 11 dissolved s S 0 ive d SIGNED SIGNI M AUGUST 2 concerning tile the actual date of the declarations ecla rations signing V mr alc acl says avs mr jefferson in I 1 ai 1 I a naj c zi nl n states that till all the meinie s pie oi 1 except mr dickinson signel 1 tie relar la caration ration atlon in tile the evening of the fourth of july the journal shows that no one signed it that evening except mr hancock ancock II and mr thomson the journal entry Is signet signed john ilan iian cock resident president attest charles thorn thom son secretary on august 2 the beclar ration as engrossed under tho alio order of congress Congi was signed by all or of the members of congress present what really ild did happen on july 4 of that year car of years was the final adoption of a cruft of the form of announcing the fact to the world that independence hall had been decreed two lays days before jefferson had writ ten this draft in his philadelphia apartments consisting of a ready fur dished parlor and bedroom in the new brick house of blyman hi man gratz at the southwest corner of ath and market streets on the outskirts of the city the penn national bank now occupying the site of this dwelling la Is in tile the very business heart of philadelphia WRITTEN N IATI IN JULY but the original declaration which all pilgrims to washington formerly gazed upon in awo awe and reverence was not ordered written for more than two weeks otter that long but unjustly hallowed july 4 on july 19 con gress ordered that the declaration bo be fairly engrossed on parchment and that the same when engrossed do bo signed by every member of congress some time within tho the next two weeks the beautiful pen work which thousands of americans havo have since marveled at and ad admired infred was executed upon tho the great strip of sheepskin now locked away in the department of state at washington on august 2 1776 just a month after tho the real leal stroke of independence this great sheepskin was unrolled in ili the presence of the continental con gre gicas in independence hall with the wording of the corrected draft it was carefully compared at the adle t blo this formality gone through nirh it was spread out upon a desk und nd signed hy by all of tho the members of con gross gress present fifty of these fathers of the republic signed on that day six of the revered 11 signers did ill not affix their signatures until later dates george wythe of virginia signed about august 27 Rl harI lee virginia eldridge gerra massachi Mass achu and oliver wolcott connecticut gilld not sign until some time in pen fember matthy thornton of now new hire ild did not add his name until november Novem bir and thomas of delaware probably did not affix alq the final slena ture until five years later or 1781 matthew ni ornton by the dav was wag not appointed appoInt eI to congress until september and did not ills sent eat until november four months after the adoption of the declaration la other signers who not lint members of congress on july 2 or 4 wiro were allowed to sign on august 2 tho the general signing day these were benjamin rush james wilson george ross george clymer and george T taylor aylor L I 1 ft A I 1 J I 1 71 kc amk lg M NCI HALL AT ilcia |