The Declaration of Independence - The Real Story!

July 4, 1776 

is one of the most famous dates in American history. 

But the Declaration of Independence displayed in the National Archives is not the document that first announced independence to the American people.

The version most Americans know today is the engrossed parchment copy, created weeks later and signed primarily on August 2, 1776. By the time that document was completed, the news had already spread across the colonies.

The first Americans who learned they were living in an independent nation saw a printed broadside produced by Philadelphia printer John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776. Congress ordered copies immediately after approving the Declaration, and roughly 200 were printed and rushed across the colonies to government officials, military commanders, and newspapers.

These Dunlap Broadsides carried the words that changed history. 

Soldiers heard them read aloud. Towns gathered to listen. Crowds celebrated, argued, and debated the future of a new nation. The Revolution had already begun, but this was the moment Americans were officially told they were no longer subjects of the British Crown.

Today, only about 26 known Dunlap Broadsides survive. One forgotten copy was famously purchased for just $4 at a flea market in 1989 before being identified as an original and later selling for millions.

The document that declared independence and the document preserved behind glass in Washington are connected, but they are not the same thing. 

The version that changed history was the one that was printed, distributed, and read across a continent in the summer of 1776.

From Instagram historicpix

Abraham Lincoln's Story of Perseverance

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809.

In 1816, at age 7, he was forced to work because his family was expelled.

In 1818, he lost his mother.

In 1828, he lost his sister.

In 1831, he opened his first business and went bankrupt.

In 1832, he stood in the legislative elections and lost.

In 1833, he borrowed money to open another business and went bankrupt again.

In 1835, he met a wonderful woman. He falls in love with her, they get engaged, and she dies.

In 1836, he entered a dark period of his life: deep depression.

He remains bedridden for 6 consecutive months. But he gets up.

He gets up and in that same year of 1836 he runs in the legislative elections and loses again.

In 1840 he presented himself as an elector; he loses.

In 1842, he met the woman he would end his life with.

They fall in love, get engaged, get married and she gives him 4 children and they lose 3 (three).

In 1843, he appeared at the congresses and lost.

In 1845, he appeared again at the congresses and lost again.

In 1850, his son died.

In 1854, he ran for the Senate and lost.

In 1856, he ran for Vice President, he didn't even have 100 votes.

In 1858, he ran again for the Senate and lost again.

And in 1860 ABRAHAM LINCOLN was elected President of the United States of America.

He was elected for two exceptional terms (he was assassinated in beginning of the second term.) 

He was one of the most respected and impactful Presidents in the history of the United States.

It's important to tell this story of perseverance because we see the hero, but we don't see the backstage of the afflictions.








From Instagram davidjharrisjr

This Is How Old America's Founders Were . . .

The leaders who shaped the United States during the American Revolution came from a wide range of ages. Some were seasoned statesmen with decades of political experience, while others were ambitious young leaders just beginning their public careers. 

At the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, their ages reflected this diversity:

• Benjamin Franklin — 70 years old
• George Washington — 44 years old
• Thomas Jefferson — 33 years old
• John Adams — 40 years old
• Alexander Hamilton — 21 years old
• James Madison — 25 years old
• John Hancock — 39 years old
• Samuel Adams — 53 years old
• Patrick Henry — 40 years old
• Thomas Paine — 39 years old
• John Jay — 30 years old
• Gouverneur Morris — 24 years old
• Charles Carroll of Carrollton — 38 years old
• James Monroe — 18 years old

John Marshall — 20 years old

Aaron Burr — 20 years old

These ages show that the American Revolution was led by a blend of youth and experience. While veterans like Benjamin Franklin brought wisdom and diplomatic skill, younger leaders such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Gouverneur Morris, and Alexander Hamilton contributed fresh ideas that would shape the nation’s founding documents and institutions for generations.

pastellaburns also added:

And they could read and write in Greek and Latin, were proficient in mathematics, were scholars of ancient history, studied the law, were trained orators (some of them), owned businesses etc. The men of 1776 were a few steps above the “men” of today on nearly everything.

Pictures with ages:

1. Who's the only US President who's first language was not English?



Martin Van Buren - 8th President - He was born in NYC to Dutch parents who immigrated there when NYC was a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam

From Instagram insidehistory

THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT!

Three Branches of Government

A civics note explaining the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. 

It shows how each branch works and why separation of powers matters.

 

From Instagram edusphereacademy1996

ALL Blood Types and What They Actually Mean . . .

 

From showingyoustuff Instagram Account

Life To Ponder . . .

From powerofpsychology Instagram Account