The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

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. 

— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,,— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Read the Rest of the Declaration of Independence here  

and substitute the current government of the United States and especially the Republican Party for the King of Great Britain!

  

The Midnight Ride of Billy Dawes

* * * * * 

In 1775, before the battle of Lexington, William Dawes and Paul Revere were dispatched to rouse the country. Samuel Prescott joined them enroute. They ran into a British patrol and Revere was captured. Dawes and Prescott got away. 

(From Reggie Dawes's Home Pages about the Dawes family.)

For the full story, see: 
Forget Sarah Palin and Paul Revere: What About the Midnight Ride of William Dawes? 
-Charlie Jones, The People’s Almanac

The Midnight Ride of William Dawes

I am a wandering, bitter shade,
Never of me was a hero made;
Poets have never sung my praise,
Nobody crowned my brow with bays;
And if you ask me the fatal cause,
I answer only, "My name was Dawes"

'Tis all very well for the children to hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere;
But why should my name be quite forgot,
Who rode as boldly and well, God wot?
Why should I ask? The reason is clear --
My name was Dawes and his Revere.

When the lights from the old North Church flashed out,
Paul Revere was waiting about,
But I was already on my way.
The shadows of night fell cold and gray
As I rode, with never a break or a pause;
But what was the use, when my name was Dawes!

History rings with his silvery name;
Closed to me are the portals of fame.
Had he been Dawes and I Revere,
No one had heard of him, I fear.
No one has heard of me because
He was Revere and I was Dawes.

The above poem is a parody of Longfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." Written by Helen F. Moore, it was published in 1896 in the Century Magazine.