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44 comments to "5 Obscure Facts About the Declaration of Independence."

Alex
July 4th, 2007 at 1:23 am
Happy 4th of July, everyone!
angry
July 4th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
GOD DAMMIT… The name of the holiday is NOT “Fourth of July,” it’s INDEPENDENCE DAY. Today we are to celebrate our INDEPENDENCE from the British, not the fact that it is the fourth day of the month of July.
Xenoxide
July 4th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Why is it wrong?

The day itself signifies the signing of the Declaration of Independance. Do you say “Happy 2nd September everyone!”? No. The 4th of July is famous BECAUSE of the signing, therefore it is perfectly acceptable to wish everyone a happy 4th of July, because everyone should be happy on the day the declaration was signed.
SageCB
July 4th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Here is another interesting fact - the picture at the top of this page is popular but incorrect. The document was not signed with all the signatories just standing around. It was signed seperately in different locations at different times.
Either way, one of the best ideas to come out of this country
Brit
July 4th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Bloody Yanks!
Jeremy
July 4th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
IMO Americans would be better served if the “Independence Day” moniker was dropped.

Right or wrong, many, many people around the globe view America as a country obsessed with military power and war; a country on a holy mission to crush it’s (perceived) enemies around the world.

Reminding everyone each year, that on July the 4th America was “born in violence,” and that they still worship that “up yours” kind of spirit, seems like a very *bad* idea to me.
Michael
July 4th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
@Jeremy.

Up yours.
johnMclaine
July 4th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
i just saw a blad eagle fly by and a little tear rolled down my face. that’s one damn fine bird.
BFranklin
July 4th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
HAY guyz ima gunna drink a lot of beer! Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy ya know? hay look im on dis page…weird huh. Why you guyz talkn bout me. peace out fools
Tom
July 4th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Hey, it’s July 4 for you folks!

Happy whatever you want to call it. Your country is grand and I enjoy your media and general spirit.

Now please get rid of the cadre of lunatics in your uppermost echelons of Government.
Movie Fan
July 4th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
Obscure? Anyone who has seen the play or movie “1776″ will know items 2 and 3. The ages of Rutledge and Franklin are the basis for a joke early on; the slavery passage and the effects of Rutledge’s opposition to it are critical plot points in the last third of the story.
Dan
July 4th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I think we should remember that we were a country born in revolution by tearing ourselves away from those who oppressed us. We also tore ourselves away from old ideas of monarchy and (to lesser extent) the privilege of birth.

We are also one of a handful of countries where we can have a radical shift of power without spilling blood.

This is a far from perfect nation…but this liberal would rather live here than anywhere else.
Bob
July 4th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Point one is actually incorrect. Check out the images of Jefferson’s original rough draft of the Declaration at http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html — look at the top of the first page. In the very first line, Jefferson wrote “A Declaration by the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in General Congress assembled” — with precisely that capitalization. He clearly intended that this would be the usage from the first.
Ugly American
July 4th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me Liberty or give me death.

PATRICK HENRY - 1775

Excerpts of speech made before the Virginia House of Burgesses
Pot Smokin' Jerry
July 4th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
im gonna smoke a lot of pot
DwaEMoney
July 4th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Hey if you wanna see what this country was TRULY AND HONESTLY BASED UPON, as well as a little insight into it’s future, go to http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/awaken/index.htm it’s kinda lengthy but is perfect and everything he says is true. I myself looked up the facts he presented and the evidence is astounding. THE TRUTH IS HERE. Have an open mind and be ready.
Online TV
July 4th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Happy 4th of July!
Canada
July 4th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
Declaration of Independance, my ass. You people have not been independant for the last 300 years. Your always a slave to someone, especially now that the media controls what you hear(and remember the media is controlled by the government) Besides which, how many of you have actually read and understood the DOI? I bet if you did, things would change, but your mostly just sheople anyway. Go watch your tv and be brainwashed. Or open your eyes to the atrocities that are being committed by the highest members of your government.
Phredd
July 4th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
@Jeremy.

Suck it.
xister
July 4th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Yay! Happy anal-retentive Fourth of July everybody!
Sir Robyn Blaber
July 4th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Happy 4TH OF JULY
It’s Independence Day for 300 million fascists and July 4th for 5 billion civilized people.
coreyb
July 4th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
@Jeremy
Sounds like you are a little jealous… But anyway you look at it, we are here with our liberty and you are obviously willing to live with out it and all of the other basic human rights that go with independence. Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone fights agains suppression, even Americans, on a daily basis. So, you either pull you head out of your ass and see the world as it is or you don’t. But to each their own I guess.
Rob
July 4th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Happy Flag Idolatry Day
Joe
July 4th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Happy Independence Day! And God Bless America!

(Even if you personally don’t like God, you can still admit this country sure would prosper with a few more blessings from the Almighty!)
che geordievara
July 4th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Independence huh?!? Revolution eh? Just because your founding fathers disagreed with British rule and fought to change it doesn’t make it ‘right’ - it actually made those that fought against the British (in the true sense of the word) TERRORISTS!.

Somewhat ironic ;o)

Being Scottish I can understand the US founding fathers sentiments for revolution and independence, but we were a lot closer to England geographically and had less people to fight with - oh yeah - and the Scottish clan leaders (not all, but enough) also sold out the people to the English, creating ‘terrorists’ out of guys who thought that was wrong, like Robert the Bruce and Ian Wallace et al.
We win though - there’s a Scottish Prime Minister now lol!
Sliptoflapporappyandacarpaltunnelpuddingplanker
July 4th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
well, Independence Day/The Fourth of July may kinda suck, but at least it’s a legit holiday…none of that epistemologically bastardized pagan holiday bullshit nor the day of frenzied embryo searching and adulation of anthropomorphic lagomorphs and zombified corpses nor Hallmark Day or Native American Genocide Day. After All Hallow’s Eve and Get Drunk Day, Independence Day is our best holiday, IMHO. Also fuck flag day labor day earth day and all saint’s day. MLK day, Boxing Day and Love Day are all OK with me, though.
Jason
July 4th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
@Jeremy - up yours

@che geordievara - they were committing high treason, not acts of terrorism.
Mark
July 5th, 2007 at 1:20 am
Lighten up Angry.
Elf
July 5th, 2007 at 7:28 am
@coreyb:

You’re kidding, right?

If you _actually_ believe you have something approaching “liberty” left in the USA, then you are yet another blinkered idiot swallowing the BushCo bullshit exactly as intended, and are part of the increasing problem.

Extraordinary rendition. Habeus corpus. Domestic detention centres being built. Et cetera.

Educate yourself, or shut up.
Agarwaen
July 5th, 2007 at 9:30 am
@Sir Robyn Blaber:

You must not be paying attention. Half the country are socialists, a little less than half are fascists, the remainder are some combination of libertarians and communists.

But, then, you’re one to talk. Your sn would suggest British nationality, am I correct? Then you just can’t remember your own Empire, which, if I remember correctly, you’re still proud of (when you think about it). You still give lip service to a monarch. A constitutional figurehead monarch, but a monarch no less.

@Canada:

We’re not the only ones. Free healthcare, right? Provided you keep the government happy and don’t do anything out of the ordinary, yes. Your government owns you no less than ours owns us.

What I don’t understand is how you don’t like it when Americans stereotype Brits, Canadians, and Europeans in general (yes, I know Canada is most of North America, but you have the same mindset), but love to make the same kinds of stereotypes when dealing with Americans.

@Tom:

I’ll get right on that. It may take a while, though.
dutch
July 5th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
One most curious fact is missing from this list. It’s inspired by a similar dutch work, see http://www.news.wisc.edu/3049 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
Just One American
July 5th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
The Country of my Heart

Got to work late on the 5th of July
After a sleepless night of explosions and gunfire.
It took about an hour to clean up the broken glass.
Someone put a bullet through my old car.
Probably a thoughtless teen taking advantage
Of the noisy night to fulfill the desire
To shoot something, anything.
Annoying, but it didnâ€™t make me mad.

My heart, the part of me that counts,
Doesnâ€™t live in a country like that.
People in the country of my heart
Donâ€™t feel like shooting anything.
They feel like looking you in the eye
Long and deep, and holding you close,
Hugging you with their arms.

I do have guns, and I know how to use them.
I would use them to protect you
But not for a thrill
I have heard enough gunfire
And Iâ€™ve seen enough of what follows it.
jonolan
July 6th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
@Jeremy:

If you’re currently residing in the US, please feel free - in fact encouraged - to get the F**K out! In point of fact you should be eternally grateful for the liberties you possess since one of them is the “right” to spout whatever seditious tripe you feel like w/o fear of government reprisal.
onur
September 10th, 2007 at 7:06 am
hmmm…
bob
September 21st, 2007 at 8:33 am
settle down
jamesbdw
October 6th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
lalaalala 4th of july is ok to say but they called it independence day
jamesbdw
October 6th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
the independence day is not a joke people so dont joke about it, we did this for a reason, to mot fight like this. Trust me, I am a perfessional.
Danielle Newman
November 14th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
Hey I need to know who created this. I’m doing a report and I want ot use this web site but I can’t because I can’t find the Authors name for my BIBLIOGRAPHY!!!

THANKS BYE!!!!!!!!
Danielle Newman
November 14th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Hello I need the Answer!!! This is Danielle its due in a week I will check this web site back tomorrow for the answer!!!
Alex
November 14th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
Posted on July 4, 2007 at 1:16 am by Alex (see Author Profiles). Good luck with the report, Danielle!
unanimous
January 23rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
This stuff is boring who agrees i like the south american stories better

PS i am american
salty
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:10 am
AMERICA — GOD BLESS AMERICA —

Love it or LEAVE it….

A Republic, not a socialistic cesspool of illegals…

— GOD BLESS AMERICA —
CWG
July 4th, 2008 at 7:44 am
It is our Independence Day…call it 4th of July if you wish…go find a military man or woman and thank them for keeping you FREE today!

Even you stinkin’ liberals need to do that!

Have a awesome day and God Bless America…
Carol
July 4th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Reading the signatories of the Independence Declaration It seems to me they are of British descent. I view the battle for independence as the British fighting the British on what was to become American soil. From tribesmen to clansmen wars have been fought and lands won by aquisition. Ask the Irish, the Scots, the Indians, American indians, Africans, Mexicans, the English,any nation in the world! There is no UNgreat nation…celebrate our commonality. If things don’t change, they’ll stay as they are!
Happy 4th!

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