Say goodbye, it's Independence Day!

A quick dip into the Declaration of Independence

Jul 04, 2025

We… therefore 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.”

Happy Independence Day!

I’m not talking here of the rhetorical use of the word “Independence” as uttered following Brexit or as imitated by President Trump on April 2nd, but its real, vital and earth-shaking assertion.

On this day, next year, July 4, 2026, the USA will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

On the same day the Continental Congress voted for Independence (July 2nd 1776), the British Empire landed an extraordinary expeditionary force of 9,000 soldiers and 130 ships on Staten Island.

Clearly, the King did not want to let ‘you’ go. Many, many more ships and soldiers would follow…

Building to a force of 400 ships and 32,000 soldiers capable of pushing Washington from Brooklyn to New Jersey.

New York City would become a safe haven for some for seven years, until the Treaty of Paris allowed the British to evacuate and Washington to take back Manhattan in triumph.

More on the early history of NYC will follow in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let’s return to the document that articulated America’s determination…

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Decoding the Declaration

The Declaration of Independence was not just a revolutionary assertion, but an all-out commitment to outright war. The founding fathers pledged everything to each other: “Our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

[note: not spelt, sorry, spelled Honour!]

Boy oh boy, could Jefferson write.

Long complex sentences with commas, clauses, and subclauses.

“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.”

Has so much of consequence been said by so few words since? There may be clauses galore, but there’s nothing subordinate about the language. Not a single polite English request: “Terribly sorry, would you possibly mind if I…”

No! It is a declaration, an assertion. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire.

Can we say it’s the first piece of truly American writing?

Yes. It’s certainly not British!

From this point onwards, we no longer hear a colonial voice, but stridency, the beginning of the end of imperial utterances.

“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.”

Jefferson drags his diction from the depths of the archaic mind…

Etitioned, Redress, Tyranny, Prudent, Evinces, Deriving, Usurpations, Sufferance, Despotism, Consanguinity, Absolved, Perfidious, Prudence Unwarrantable, Rectitude, Magnanimity, Unalienable.

The declaration announces to a ‘candid’ world congressional complaints against the King, slapping tyranny in the face twenty-seven times. He has this, he has that, he has...

And he had.

From the patriot point of view, he had: refused, forbade, neglected, cut off, constrained, dissolved, denied, destroyed, deprived, obstructed, multiplied, kept, affected, abolished, quartered, plundered, imposed, incited, neglected, transported, suspended, renounced, ravaged, harrased and burned.

The declaration draws ethos from the Enlightenment, pathos from patient suffering, and logos from its legalese. It is not made for ‘light and transient causes,’ but built on deafness to accumulated grievance: “Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.”

Today, Presidents say “God Bless America” without a second thought.

“God,” however, is only alluded to three times in the declaration, without ever actually using the word “God.” Instead, we find: “Supreme judge of this world,” “divine providence,” and “creator.”

Jefferson wanted to ground the Declaration in universal natural law, rather than religion. Hence, the founding father’s enlightenment-infused resistance to using the word GOD.

Our Shared History in a Flag

The Grand Union Flag. As flown briefly during the begining of the Revolutinary War.

If there was resistance to God, there was little resistance to finding a new symbol for the United States, in the form of the Stars and Stripes.

During the Revolutionary War, ships that wanted to declare their rebellion added thirteen white stripes across the red background of the British naval ensign, one for each of the colonies. The Union Jack was removed and replaced with a growing number of white stars, one for each state.

Following the Declaration of Independence, the serious fight for the supremacy of the USA had only just begun. The Red-coats would take sixty-three months to be pushed out, and they’d still “pop” back to swap punches later. In fact it would take thirty-eight years in total to stop the squabbling. Much like two parties who’ve been fighting for so long, they don’t know what the F*** they’re doing.

Coda:

Fun facts: Did you know that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4th 1865? (Their passing was exactly fifty years since the declaration, and was seen as a manifestation of divine providence). Or, that the One World Trade Centre is exactly 1776 feet tall?

Talking fun facts, here are last week’s geography quiz answers:

1. Define Longitude and Latitude:

Latitude is the distance north or south of the equator. Lines of latitude are horizontal and parallel to the equator.

Longitude is the distance east or west of the Prime Meridian. Lines of longitude are vertical and meet at the poles.

2. Name and Give Boundaries of the Five Zones:

Northern Frigid Zone: From the Arctic Circle to the North Pole

North Temperate Zone: From the Tropic of Cancer to the Arctic Circle

Torrid (Tropical) Zone: Between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn

South Temperate Zone: From the Tropic of Capricorn to the Antarctic Circle

Southern Frigid Zone: From the Antarctic Circle to the South Pole

3. Tell What You Know of the Gulf Stream:

The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm Atlantic Ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico, flows up the east coast of the U.S., and crosses the Atlantic toward Europe. It significantly affects the climate of nearby regions, making Western Europe warmer than other areas at the same latitude.

4. Locate the Erie Canal; What Waters Does It Connect, and Why Is It Important?

The Erie Canal is in New York State. It connects Lake Erie at Buffalo to the Hudson River at Albany. It opened up inland trade routes, reduced transportation costs, and helped New York City become a major port.

5. Locate These Bordering Countries: Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania:

These countries are in Southeastern Europe: Turkey shares borders with Greece and Bulgaria. Greece borders Turkey. Serbia does not border Greece now, but did from 1913-1918 (When Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed Yugoslavia in 1929). Montenegro is southwest of Serbia. Romania is northeast of Serbia.

6. Name and give the Capitals of States touching the Ohio River:

States touching the Ohio River and their capitals: Pennsylvania – Harrisburg; Ohio – Columbus; West Virginia – Charleston; Kentucky – Frankfort; Indiana – Indianapolis; Illinois – Springfield.

7. Locate These Cities: Mobile – Alabama, (USA) Quebec – Canada (City in Quebec Province) Buenos Aires – Argentina (Capital) Liverpool – United Kingdom (England) Honolulu – Hawaii, USA (Capital)

8. Name in Order of Size the Three Largest States in the United States:

By area: Alaska, Texas, Montana.

9. Locate These Mountains:

Blue Ridge – Eastern U.S. (part of the Appalachian Mountains); Himalayas – Asia; Andes – South America; Alps – Central Europe (stretch across countries like Switzerland, Austria, and France); Wasatch – Western U.S., mainly in Utah

10. Through What Waters Would a Vessel Pass Going from England through the Suez Canal to Manila?

A typical route would be: English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, Strait of Malacca, South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Manila Bay.

More on the origins of the Stars and Stripes can be found below:

And Finally, the Podcast on “The Highest Calling,” digs deeper into issues arising from the founding documents and, explains how, quote: “In reality, the presidency is ever-evolving, as the contours of its powers and the expectations that come with them are continually reshaped by those who hold the office.”