“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13
In 1776, our nation was coming together. Independence was being achieved. Our fledgling government was being formed by men of God. Men who just wanted to be out from under the rule of England.
As part of preparing for this momentous event, the leaders of the colonies came together to sign the documents. The most important document in the history of our nation.
The Declaration of Independence
Twelve colonies signed this document on July 4, 1776. The colony of New York was still waiting on authorization from Albany to vote on independence.
The declaration stated that they were all now “free and independent states.” Can you imagine watching all this unfold in real time? No longer colonies under Great Britain and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. These men had worked hard to get to this point. Battles were fought, lives lost but their determination rang true. Freedom for all!
The signers were grouped by state with the exception of John Hancock who was the President of the Continental Congress. His being the first became the most recognizable and today his name is an informal synonym for “signature.”
Two future presidents signed the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
Edward Rutledge was the youngest to sign at the age of 26 and Benjamin Franklin the oldest at the age of 70.
While the official date IS July 4th, some dispute that it should be August 2nd, stating this was in fact when all the men were able to come together to sign the documents.
While we can not go back in time and look at the dates properly, we can say, our nation is the United States of America today because some men’s desires to have a free nation.
