Happy 4th Of July

[D21howie]

Happy 4th Of July

[BSR]

I barely noticed the 4th of July when I was out of the country last year, but this year I’m a bit sad that I’m missing all the festivities.  Happy 250th, America!  I should *fingerscrossed* be in the US for the next July 4th, but being there to celebrate 251 years as a nation just doesn’t have the same ring to it.  To all my fellow Americans on the board, Happy Independence Day!!

[+ Just Chuck]

"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." 

 

 

The Declaration had some stuff I don’t like. And it had some good stuff removed from the original draft, but this sentence is the very best part of it.  

 

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 11:29 PM by Just Chuck

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

4 hours ago, Just Chuck said:

"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." 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:35 AM by Vegas_Millennial

[jonasfoleson]

America isn't perfect, no country can be but it's achieved a lot. 

 

[jonasfoleson]

People bemoan the Founders for not tackling slavery. Jefferson tried to outlaw it in VA, though he failed. And many of them, whilst being slaveowners, did see the contradiction. They included slavery provisions in the Constitution to keep the southern states in line, as Georgia and the Carolinas would not have accepted it otherwise. The Civil War decades later was thus inevitable.

Yes, the USA did need a Civil War to end slavery. It did commit native genocide, Jim Crow, Tuskegee experiments, etc. But then the personal computer, smartphone, reaching the Moon, the light bulb, etc. are some of its plusses.

[+ Jamie21]

At least Canada remained loyal 😉

From your London correspondent 🇬🇧

[mike carey]

2 hours ago, Jamie21 said:

At least Canada remained loyal 😉

From your London correspondent 🇬🇧

Lie back and think of England. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Lotus-eater]

17 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

 

 

The sentiment is nice but the quote is apocryphal. Franklin never said it and the Constitution doesn't mention happiness (unlike the Declaration).

[Luv2play]

2 hours ago, Lotus-eater said:

The sentiment is nice but the quote is apocryphal. Franklin never said it and the Constitution doesn't mention happiness (unlike the Declaration).

Maybe by the time they drafted the Constitution, they thought better of the wording in the Declaration guaranteeing the pursuit of happiness. After all the Declaration caused a lot of unhappiness amongst those loyal to the British Crown. 

[jonasfoleson]

18 hours ago, Jamie21 said:

At least Canada remained loyal 😉

From your London correspondent 🇬🇧

They have no culture, so had no choice.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

12 hours ago, Lotus-eater said:

The sentiment is nice but the quote is apocryphal. Franklin never said it and the Constitution doesn't mention happiness (unlike the Declaration).