Tomorrow is July 4, 2023, and the day we celebrate Independence Day in the United States of America.  This is the 247^th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.  The formal declaration that the American colonies would no longer deem themselves to be under the governance of the King of England, George III.

The long struggle for Independence, which was nothing short of a miracle, was fought from 1775 to 1783.  The armed conflict was jumpstarted in April 1775 when colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord engaged the British troops.  It was not until 1778 that France entered the war on the side of the colonists, turning what could be called a civil war into an international conflict.  It was in 1781 that the British forces surrendered to the Continental Army at Yorktown that signaled the end of the war.  However, the formal recognition of Independence was not achieved until 1783.

The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, where they voted to form a Continental Army led by George Washington.  The Battle of Bunker Hill ended with a British victory. Still, the Continental Army inflicted heavy damage on the British forces led by General Howe and encouraged the colonists immeasurably.

Almost from the outset, General Washington had to be creative and endured incredible difficulty keeping his army intact and supplied.  The many obstacles that were overcome testify to and solidify the belief of those men and many of us today that failure would have been the outcome without God’s divine providence. 

History records that the British strategy in 1777 was to advance a two-pronged attack to split New England and make it impossible for the Continental Army to survive.  British General John Burgoyne’s forces marched from Canada southward to meet General Howe’s forces on the Hudson River.  But the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

General Burgoyne suffered incredible losses in retaking Fort Ticonderoga.  At the same time, General Howe moved his forces south from New York to confront General Washington near Chesapeake Bay.  The battle of Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania occurred on September 11^th, when the British defeated the Americans and entered Philadelphia on September 25^th.  General Washington recovered and counterstruck Germantown in early October before withdrawing to Valley Forge for the winter.

The move by General Howe, a strategic blunder, hindsight reveals, left General Burgoyne’s forces exposed near Saratoga, New York, and on September 19^th American General Horatio Gates defeated the British at Freeman’s Farm in the first Battle of Saratoga.  On October 7^th, a second defeat at Bemis Heights, called the Second Battle of Saratoga, caused Burgoyne to surrender, which proved to be the ultimate turning point in the war. 

Many more battles transpired. Finally, General Cornwallis retreated to the Yorktown peninsula in Virginia, where the York River empties into the Chesapeake Bay.  With the backing of the French under General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Washington moved against Yorktown.  The thirty-six French ships prevented British reinforcements from arriving, and Cornwallis was trapped.  He surrendered his army on October 19^th. 

Cornwallis, ever the narcissist and refusing to suffer personal embarrassment to the upstart colonists, who were lesser in his mind, claimed to be ill and could not attend the formal surrender.  He sent his second, Charles O’Hara, who approached General Rochambeau in another slight to the Americans. Rochambeau deferred to General Washington, who astutely recognized the situation and sent his second, Benjamin Lincoln, to accept the surrender sword.  Bravo, Generals Rochambeau, and Washington! 

In 2023, July 4^th is on a Tuesday, giving millions a four-day weekend.  Unfortunately, many in America today only see this as a day off work rather than reflecting on the holiday’s significance.  It is more than picnics, boating, and fireworks.  It is about the birth of a Republic that championed individual rights and freedom. 

Independence Day is It is about the birth of a Republic that recognized the inalienable rights of all men and led to a constitution that sought to guarantee the protection of those rights.  We are in another war today, but it is not a war with outside forces but a war within to maintain our status as the Free Constitutional Republic where God is honored and man’s inalienable rights are recognized.

Before 1776 the colonists were accustomed to celebrating the King’s birthday with ringing bells, fireworks, parades, and speeches.  In 1776 the colonists celebrated differently by holding mock funerals for King George III to symbolize that the monarchy’s hold on America was over. 

The typical festivities included concerts, bonfires, parades, and the firing of canons and muskets with a public reading of the Declaration of Independence.  General Washington celebrated by issuing double rations to his troops in 1778 and 1781.  Then politics entered, and the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans held separate celebrations in many larger cities.

You might be interested to know that the first recorded fireworks were used as early as 200 BC.  But, in the colonies, on July 4^th, there would be massive celebrations, and the ships in the harbors would fire a 13-gun salute to the Thirteen Colonies that made up the New United States of America.  Celebrations grew even more prolifically after the War of 1812 when we faced down the British a second time. 

In 1870 the U.S. Congress made July 4^th a federal holiday, and in 1941 the provision was made to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees.  In the 19^th century, the holiday became more focused on leisure activities, family get-togethers, and barbeques.  The importance and meaning were on the decline.

The American flag, the symbol of freedom, and the Star-Spangled Banner’s playing, still marks the holiday in many places, but that too is on the decline.  Many do not know that two prominent presidents died on July 4, 1826, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.  They died within hours of each other, and I have heard some insist it was planned.  By whom?  God?

America has enjoyed a long history of freedom, and our liberties, freedoms, and rights are in the balance today.  The globalists, fundamental transformists, and anti-American sentiment that is alive and well in America seek to rewrite our history and leave future generations ignorant of our history and purpose.  They desire that so they can manipulate thinking and thereby control the masses. 

We must remember that Freedom is always one generation away from extinction, and it is up to us to fight for Faith, Family, and Freedom.  Our duty and moral obligation is to stand up for America, the America of our Founding.  It is time for us to take back our government!

How?  We can only do it with prayer and a return to God.  We cannot do it at the polls alone or politically with laws, regulations, executive orders, or mandates.  We need to vote, but voting alone will not change people’s hearts.  We need God’s divine help and His face to shine upon us again.  I ask that you join me as we celebrate Independence Day, commit to intercede for America, and stand up and be counted!

God bless you, and God bless America!