Happy Independence Day! Let’s Sing a Song…

But before we do, here’s one little tidbit to recall on this 236th birthday of our republic. Everyone knows the first lines of the Declaration of Independence, but the last line is pretty impressive too.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

And so it was, as the good folks at Snopes note with the footnotes to back up the facts verses the urban legends. Also, did any Catholics sign the Declaration too? Meet the Carroll’s of Maryland.

While you’re reading that, join me in singing the Woody Guthrie classic “This Land Is Your Land,” as covered by Neil Young & Crazy Horse.

About the portrait above,

This image is considered one of the most realistic renditions of this historical event. Jefferson is the tall person depositing the Declaration of Independence on the table. Benjamin Franklin sits to his right. John Hancock (1737-1793) sits behind the table. Fellow committee members, John Adams, Roger Sherman (1721-1793), and Robert R. Livingston (1746-1813) stand (left to right) behind Jefferson.

One last note, for the pessimists among us,