As we prepare to celebrate the 4th of July this weekend, I’d like to share with you an excerpt from one of President John Adams’ famous letters to his wife, Abigail, about the holiday. On July 3, 1776, just one day before signing the Declaration of Independence, he wrote:
I am apt to believe that [July 4] will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance…with pomp and parade…games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.
As you spend time with your family and friends this weekend—whether at a picnic, a parade, or out under a firework-lit sky—I urge you to heed the advice of President Adams and truly commemorate our independence and the privileges of our freedom. Even after 232 years, it is important that we pay homage to our nation’s ‘day of deliverance’, for it has truly changed the world.
Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a safe and happy holiday weekend!