Today is Independence Day, the 4th of July, a national holiday with government offices and financial institutions closed, and no mail delivery.
The 4th of July celebrates the passage and signing of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.
John Adams, one of the crafters of the Declaration and the nation’s second president, predicted it would be remembered by future generations with “fireworks, pageants, pomp, and parades.”
He was right, but also wrong. Adams thought the day of the celebration would be July 2nd – the day John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration.
Instead we celebrate the 4th – the day the Declaration was first read to the public outside the building where Congress was meeting, today known as Independence Hall.
3rd District Congressman Adrian Smith of Gering says while the country faces major challenges that have led to growing division, Independence Day is a reminder of the struggles overcome together by the Founding Fathers, many of whom did not like each other, and the need to continue to strive for unity today.
U-S Senator Deb Fischer of Valentine says the Declaration of Independence made the United States the only country in history to begin by “acknowledging the innate rights our Creator has endowed in each of us – the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” adding “this country is worth celebrating.
Fellow Senator and former governor Pete Ricketts says “whether you are gathering with family and friends to watch fireworks, grill out, or marching in one of the many parades across our state, let us honor those that made The Good Life possible.”
43rd District State Senator Tom Brewer of Gordon offers a quote by President Ronald Regan that Ricketts used one of his 8 messages for the holiday as governor.
In it, Regan said ”Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”