Facing east were 13 colonies full of people in a raw, unmapped land, staring at the Atlantic Ocean. Inhabitants were taxed, but not allowed representation. When the colonists turned around there were natives saying things like, “Maps? Kidding? Who are you people?”
On July 2, 1776, this country’s independence was declared from England. On August 2, 1776, the document was signed, and not one signer was born in the United States, as the United States didn’t exist.
New Americans got a lot of things wrong, starting with the dates, but 56 men did sign a document that turned a rebellion into a revolution. A free country was born and no one knew much about it or how to do it.
The Declaration of Independence is a metaphor for what we all crave, the right to do it our way.
Happy Birthday, America (240!). Happy Birthday, Eureka Springs (137!). Happy Birthday Eureka Springs Independent (4!)
Photo from loc.gov