Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Patrick Tuttle, 417-625-4789
The America 250th Celebration does not end with Fireworks on July 4th.
Two events are planned for Wednesday, July 8th; the public is invited to both.
At 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8th, at the recently opened Tin Cup Bridge, behind the Joplin Family Y (3404 W. McIntosh Cir Dr, Joplin), the Joplin Celebrations Commission will unveil the newest Heritage Trail Marker. The Heritage Trail is a project the commission started as part of the Joplin Sesquicentennial in 2023. This will be the tenth marker telling Joplin’s history. Ten more are in development.
The storyboard to be unveiled is for the namesakes of both Jasper and Newton counties, two American Revolutionary War soldiers who once fought together. The county’s name was derived from Revolutionary War heroes Sergeant John Newton and Sergeant William Jasper. Five states (Indiana, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia) have adjacent counties named Jasper and Newton.
On the evening of July 8th, Americans will participate in “Sharing the Spirit of America,” a simultaneous nationwide reading of the Declaration of Independence. The event commemorates the 250th anniversary of the very first public reading on July 8, 1776.
Simultaneous readings will occur across all 50 states, covering thousands of miles and all time zones. The Declaration of Independence will be read aloud at the same time.
For Joplin, the event will be held at the Joplin Public Library at 5:00 p.m. The library is located at 1901 E. 20th Street.
Joplin’s Sgt. Ariel Nims Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will conduct the ceremony, with some participants in colonial attire.
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BACKGROUND
On July 2, 1776, the real Declaration of Independence was made. But wait! Don’t we celebrate the Declaration of Independence on July 4th? It’s true. We do celebrate our nation’s independence from Great Britain on July 4th, but the actual date of the vote for independence was July 2nd!
During the time leading up to the American Revolution, many American colonists held out hope of reconciling with Great Britain. Letters were written, and petitions made to King George detailing their grievances, but none of them made a difference. Once the Battles of Lexington and Concord took place (April 19, 1775), it became apparent to many that Britain was bent on military dictatorship, but not to all.
Even when the Second Continental Congress met in response to the first bloodshed, the majority was not ready to declare independence. They sent King George an “olive branch,” the Olive Branch Petition, which was a final attempt at reconciliation. The King wouldn’t even receive the petition. He declared the colonies in full rebellion and made it an act of treason to support the colonists in any way.
By mid-1776, full-blown battles had been waged at Bunker Hill and Quebec, and naval battles had occurred in various locations. Norfolk had been burned to the ground, and British invasion attempts had been made in North Carolina and South Carolina. These events finally convinced colonists enough that reconciliation was impossible.
They would have to win a military victory over Great Britain or be reduced to slaves.
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented the Lee Resolution to Congress. The resolution called for three things: a joint declaration of independence from Great Britain, the formation of alliances with foreign powers against Britain, and a plan of union for the colonies.
By this time, most members of Congress favored independence, so committees were established to address each proposal. A date was set for the formal vote on the independence question for July 2nd.
Jefferson drafted the Declaration between June 11th and 28th, submitted drafts to John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, who made some changes, and then presented the final draft to Congress.
On July 2nd, twelve of the thirteen colonies voted for independence, with New York abstaining; thus, July 2nd became the official day of American independence.
For the next 2 days, Congress debated the wording of its official announcement of independence, making several revisions to Jefferson’s declaration. In all, the initial draft underwent 86 changes. The final version of the Declaration was adopted on the 4th. Thus, independence was officially voted on July 2nd, but the wording of the official announcement was adopted on the 4th. That evening, printer John Dunlap produced the first copies, which were then sent to various leaders throughout the colonies.
Under the supervision of the Jefferson committee, the approved Declaration was printed on July 5th, and a copy was attached to the “rough journal of the Continental Congress of July 4th.” These printed copies, bearing only the names of John Hancock, President, and Charles Thomson, Secretary, were distributed to state assemblies, conventions, committees of safety, and commanding officers of the Continental troops.
The first public announcement of independence was made in the July 5th edition of the German-language Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote, in colonial Philadelphia. On July 6th, the full text was printed for the first time in the Philadelphia Evening Post. The first public readings of the Declaration took place in Philadelphia, Easton, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey, on July 8th. As public announcements and readings took place around the colonies, public celebrations were held for the first time, but they occurred whenever the news arrived, not on the 2nd or on the 4th!
On July 19th, Congress ordered that the Declaration be engrossed on parchment with a new title, “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America,” and “that the same, when engrossed, be signed by every member of Congress.” Engrossing is the process of copying an official document in longhand.
On August 2, John Hancock, the President of Congress, signed the engrossed copy with a bold signature. The other delegates, following custom, signed, beginning at the right, with their signatures arranged by state, from the northernmost New Hampshire to the southernmost Georgia. Although not all delegates were present at the time, 56 eventually signed the document.
| Patrick Tuttle, CDME Visit Joplin Director 602 S Main St Joplin, MO 64801 |