Independence Day

In just a few days we will celebrate our nation’s 240th Independence Day. On July 4th, 1776, 53 colonists representing the original 13 colonies that would form the basis for the United States signed their name to one of the most famous documents in our history. Declaring to the world, so to speak, that we were now independent from the British Empire.

With no organized army, only personal weapons and ammunition, hundreds of colonists began their fight at the Concord Bridge near Boston against the most powerful army in the world, a David and Goliath situation. The French, Spanish and Dutch supported the struggling patchwork colonist army.

In Georgia, named for King George, many citizens were loyalists to the crown and made their living trading with Britain and Europe. But in March of 1776, the British military seized ships laden with rice from Georgia changing the minds of many Georgians. By July of that year, a state government minus any British overseer had formed and elected three Georgians, George Walton, Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett, to go to Philadelphia to attend the Second Continental Congress for the purpose of signing the Declaration.

It would be two years, 1778, before Georgia would be involved in the Revolutionary War when the British invaded Georgia with 3,000 redcoats intent on returning Georgia to British rule and “to remove a star from the American flag.” Until 1782, the Union Jack flew over Georgia.

Then on April 15th 1783, articles of peace ended the Revolutionary War and the terms of the agreement were accepted by the United States Congress in 1784. Over eight years had passed since the Declaration had declared our Independence. At last we were the United States of America.