Patriotic  Moms
  • HOME
  • PURPOSE
  • TEACHING OUR CHILDREN
  • HOLIDAYS
  • SONGS
  • ARCHIVES
  • CONTACT

What July Fourth Means to Me

7/4/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture

For Independence Day 1981, Parade Magazine asked President Ronald Reagan to write an article which he entitled, "What July Fourth Means to Me."  He wrote it in his own words, with his own hand.  

Here is an excerpt from the article President Reagan wrote:

"There is a legend about the day of our nation's birth in the little hall in Philadelphia , a day on which debate had raged for hours. The men gathered there were honorable men hard-pressed by a king who had flouted the very laws they were willing to obey. Even so, to sign the Declaration of Independence was such an irretrievable act that the walls resounded with the words 'treason, the gallows, the headsman's axe,' and the issue remained in doubt."

"The legend says that at that point a man rose and spoke. He is described as not a young man, but one who had to summon all his energy for an impassioned plea. He cited the grievances that had brought them to this moment and finally, his voice falling, he said, 'They may turn every tree into a gallows, every hole into a grave, and yet the words of that parchment can never die. To the mechanic in the workshop, they will speak hope; to the slave in the mines, freedom. Sign that parchment. Sign if the next moment the noose is around your neck, for that parchment will be the textbook of freedom, the Bible of the rights of man forever.'"

"He fell back exhausted. The 56 delegates, swept up by his eloquence, rushed forward and signed that document destined to be as immortal as a work of man can be. When they turned to thank him for his timely oratory, he was not to be found, nor could any be found who knew who he was or how he had come in or gone out through the locked and guarded doors." (Parade Magazine, June 1981)

I love this “legend” because countless, nameless people over the years have had to summon “all their energy” to make an “impassioned plea” for freedom.  Each of us has an important part to play.  And if we do our best, freedom will prevail!

This is a great time to talk to your family about what July 4th means to you.

Here is a link to the whole article:  “What July Fourth Means to Me”  
If you like Ronald Reagan, I think you’ll love the article.

And here's a video of President Reagan's Independence Day Speech from 1986.


President Reagan's 1986 Independence Day Speech



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Archives
    Blog posts from May 2011 to June 2013 are here.  Click HOME for more recent posts. 


    Dates

    November 2020
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011


    If the category you are interested in is not listed, try using "Search" below.
Photos used under Creative Commons from norwichnuts, miamism, Јerry, nukeit1, rob_rob2001, terren in Virginia, Nadia Szopinska, makelessnoise, slagheap, ProComKelly, DonkeyHotey, Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com, KAZVorpal, Randy OHC, Mankamundo PhotoArt, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It. World Tour, Mark & Marie Finnern, ArtBrom, chimothy27, chany14, Sweet One, srslyguys, cliff1066™, p_c_w, Dave Dugdale, MCS@flickr, Randy Son Of Robert, richiec, woodleywonderworks, MCS@flickr, |vvaldzen|, JLStricklin, Coolstock, James Jordan, BenedictFrancis, StockMonkeys.com, analogophile, sheilaellen, Jeff Kubina, chrisbastian44, Kelly Schott, LeSimonPix ★, Congressman George Miller, benfff85, Marxchivist, Sunset Parkerpix, Mr. T in DC, merfam, cliff1066™, bingbing, tyhatch, David Paul Ohmer, pwbaker, uhuru1701, Jeff Kubina, kps186media, saccodent, Parvin ♣( OFF for a while ), Paul Lowry, Karen Roe, lucianvenutian, DTWpuck, srish, dailymatador, loco's photos, Governmentality, Base Camp Baker, Obama-Biden Transition Project, shalf, Ashborne Bristol Photography, losmininos, billjacobus1, laura padgett, Tracy O, ElvertBarnes, El Bibliomata, riptheskull, srqpix, vishwaant, longislandwins, How I See Life, mhaw, AlphaTangoBravo / Adam Baker, roger4336, Lisa Andres, Octavian Cosma, garlandcannon, Rambling Traveler, PBoGS, rkramer62, milan81, thivierr, Ernst Vikne, phil wood photo, jonfeinstein, Pip R. Lagenta, A. Strakey, charlesfettinger, a.drian, Beverly & Pack, Danny Novo, cliff1066™, Monticello Society, idntfd, Stinging Eyes, Jonathan Thorne CC, bigbirdz, DonkeyHotey, siegertmarc, bill85704, ourbethlehem, The History Faculty, ginnerobot, JoshuaDavisPhotography, Fort Bragg, turtlemom4bacon, VictoryNH: Protect Our Primary, Allie_Caulfield, KAZVorpal, Paul J Everett, Austen Hufford, The Sagamore Journal, Lars Plougmann, joiseyshowaa, radiant guy, cliff1066™, Congressman George Miller, post406, Tambako the Jaguar, Fifth World Art, heipei, stan.faryna, Red Barnes, marshalltownpubliclibrary, NASA Goddard Photo and Video, Scott & Elaine van der Chijs, Raúl A., Scott & Elaine van der Chijs, ConspiracyofHappiness, maz hewitt, seannaber, Zion PhotoGráfico, Casey David, Eli Hodapp, roberthuffstutter, seannaber, yaquina, Vladimir Yaitskiy, CIAT International Center for Tropical Agriculture, mark sebastian, Marxchivist, aNgeLinRicHmoNd, MPD01605, steven.y, R/DV/RS, erix!, Ernst Vikne, katmeresin, Gage Skidmore, Poetprince, rawmustard, Svadilfari, Sweet One, George Vnoucek, cambodia4kidsorg, markn3tel, UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ], Marion Doss, Korean Resource Center 민족학교, Octavian Cosma, lilivanili, krossbow, DonkeyHotey, LizMarie_AK, Matt From London, Vote Marc Moffitt, soundfromwayout, comedy_nose, Worldizen, phileole, Siena College, thivierr, edalisse, Muffet, r w h, betancourt, Obama-Biden Transition Project, MelvinSchlubman, L.C.Nøttaasen, vicki moore, North Charleston, stephane333, srslyguys, acornchief, 28misguidedsouls, Peter McCarthy, Lucid Nightmare, AlicePopkorn, C_Baltrusch, mattlemmon, Alex E. Proimos, Robby van Moor, Bengt Nyman, Loren Javier, dfred, Wendy Piersall, dgj103, stevegatto2, Mitya Kuznetsov, Ivy Dawned, gregwest98, Chris_Short, Bob Jagendorf, B Mully, Palinopsia_Films, Thriving Ink, jvoves, spakattacks, technoevangelist, CJ Sorg, h4ck3rm1k3, DonkeyHotey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, kerryvaughan, Minette Layne, Matt Neale, roberthuffstutter, Muslimology, Tony the Misfit, jamiejohndavies, Fibonacci Blue, S.MiRK, Јerry, adria.richards, archer10 (Dennis) Busy, LenDog64, billaday, Lazurite, pablo.sanchez, saccodent, Elvert Barnes, Lida Rose, avlxyz, arneboell, Valerie Everett, @ANDYwithCAMERA, istolethetv, MPD01605, deeleea, markwainwright, Kevin Goebel, TrishaLyn, ellenkabellen, Krysten_N, jurvetson, Minnesota Historical Society, showbizsuperstar, brainchildvn