Thoughts Leading Up to the Fourth of July
Ray and I enjoyed the special activities of 1976 when America celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Now we look forward to the 250th anniversary coming up in 2026. I’m thinking about that upcoming anniversary since Independence Day, 2025, is on the calendar for this coming Friday. Yesterday I looked into the 1775 Journals of the Continental Congress to see what was happening during their meetings in Philadelphia in early July 1775.
July 1, 1775, exactly 200 years ago today, was a Saturday. It would be a full year before the Continental Congress would adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, but the congressmen were busy working for the good of the 13 colonies which 12 months hence would become the first 13 United States of America.
Momentous events were happening fast. Congress was responsible for making momentous decisions. The American Revolutionary War had started just ten weeks before. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere took his famous ride. The “shot heard ’round the world” was fired the following day during the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Battle of Lexington by Amos Doolittle,
courtesy of the Library of Congress
Amos Doolittle,
Engraver of the Battles of Lexington and Concord
courtesy of the Library of Congress
On June 25th, 1775, General George Washington had named General Philip Schuyler commander of the New York Department of the Continental Army. Two days later on June 27, the Continental Congress had directed General Schuyler to go as soon as possible to Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain in northern New York. They told him to check on the troops that were stationed there, to check on their provisions, to look into navigation on the Great Lakes, and to discern how the Canadians and the Native nations of Canada felt about what was happening in the 13 colonies.
Major General Philip Schuyler,
painted by John Trumbull, engraved by Thomas Kelly,
courtesy of the Library of Congress
Shockingly, Congress instructed General Schuyler to take control of St. Johns and Montreal, Canada, if the Canadians did not find that disagreeable (of course, they did find it disagreeable!). For the next two days, Congress considered long and detailed Articles of War. On June 30, Congress adopted those articles.
When the Continental Congress met again on July 1, the congressmen were concerned about the possibility that the British would induce Native nations to attack the colonies or to enter into an alliance with British troops, therefore Congress resolved that the Continental Congress itself ought to enter into alliances with Native nations to oppose any Native nations that did align themselves with the British.
While the congressmen were discussing this, it received an express message from General Schuyler, a message that required an immediate answer. In response to his message, which is not recorded in the journal, the Continental Congress instructed General Schuyler to raise as many Green Mountain boys as he and his officers chose and to raise other men from the area around Ticonderoga in order to complete the assignment the Congress had given him on June 27.
Fort Ticonderoga, 1777,
courtesy of the Library of Congress
The Continental Congress adjourned until 9:00 A.M. on Monday again to take up the business of the day.
Like other Americans, I find it easy sometimes to be the proverbial armchair quarterback and criticize what government officials do or do not do, what they accomplish and what they leave undone. This brief look into just one ten-week period during the American Revolution helps me to remember that government officials have responsibilities beyond what I can fully appreciate.
In a much different arena, you and I balance responsibilities beyond what others can fully appreciate. The same is true for many, if not all, responsible people around us. We need grace ourselves. Other people do, too. Possibly one of the best principles we can teach our children is to honor and appreciate the hard work, cares, and concerns of other people and to give others grace.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger
and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. Be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Note: I plan to get back to my series with Sing to Learn, Watch to Learn, etc. soon, but realized that the week of the 4th of July might not be the best time for the most people to think about those kinds of details. I just wanted to explain why I decided to change gears mid-stream. I care about all of you very much. May God bless you as you prepare for a blessed 4th of July.