“Oh say, can you see…”

   It looks like we may have some beautiful weather for the holiday weekend, and The Mariner Resort is filling up quickly with excited guest ready to celebrate, and with Independence Day just around the corner, I thought it’d be appropriate to do a little research of this nation’s day of independence, and why we celebrate this great day.

   Until July of 1776, 13 colonies were under the rule of King George III. These colonies were beginning to become dissatisfied with the taxes they had to pay to England. You may remember learning about “Taxation without representation” in high school, meaning these colonies were paying taxes, but had no representation in the English Parliament, and therefore had no say in what decisions were made. In 1774, the first 13 colonies formed the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1775, the King’s troop began to descend on Concord, Massachusetts, where Paul Revere’s famous words were shouted “The British are coming, the British are coming!” This marked the beginning of the struggle for independence, for the next year England and the colonies would struggle to make any agreements.

   In June of 1776, after all hope was gone for the colonies and England to repair their differences, a committee was formed and created a formal declaration of independence. The committee was headed by Thomas Jefferson and other members included: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. On July 4th a vote was taken and 9 out of the 13 colonies voted in favor of the declaration. Although the signing of the document wasn’t official completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of our nations independence.

   Now with your brief history lesson complete, enjoy your holiday with your families and be safe! Come see us soon at The Mariner Resort!

Information obtained from.