4th of July

Today is the 4th! Always a good day (because it is dated July 4, 1776, many people believe it was signed on that date—it was signed August 2 by most of the delegates) to remember the fifty-six men who signed their lives away with their Decleration of Independence. According to Wikipedia, some historians believe that the Declaration was used as a propaganda tool, in which the Americans tried to establish clear reasons for their rebellion that might persuade reluctant colonists to join them and establish their just cause to foreign governments that might lend them aid. The Declaration also served to unite the members of the Continental Congress. Most were aware that they were signing what would be their death warrant in case the Revolution failed, and the Declaration served to make anything short of victory in the Revolution unthinkable.