Happy 4th

Happy 4th of July…freedom freedom freedom.

I’m really thankful for my freedom. I love America!!

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Observance

In 1777, thirteen guns were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white and blue bunting.
In 1778, General George Washington marked the Fourth of July with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday July 5.
In 1781, Massachusetts was the first legislature to recognize the Fourth of July.
In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina held the first celebration of the Fourth of July in the country with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled the Psalm of Joy.
In 1791, the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day”.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a holiday, albeit unpaid, for federal employees.
In 1941, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day a federal paid holiday. The residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi celebrated the Fourth of July for the first time in 78 years, since the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Union victory during the American Civil War on July 4, 1863.

Do you enjoy living in a “free” nation? The most important freedom you can have is personal freedom–liberty from guilt and condemnation. Jesus paid for your freedom with his own blood! Will you accept his sacrifice?