HAPPY JULY 4TH! A TRIBUTE TO THE 13 ORIGINAL COLONIES

On July 4, 1776, the thirteen original colonies in America

declared their independence from England.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the 243rd birthday
of our country's independence. 

THE THIRTEEN ORIGINAL COLONIES

NEW YORK

"Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

The date on Lady Liberty's tablet is July 4, 1776.

The Statue Of Liberty

VIRGINIA

 Mount Vernon is the historic estate of George Washington,

the first president of the United States.

Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

 MASSACHUSETTS

Faneuil Hall in Boston, a meeting place since 1743, 
and sometimes called "the Cradle Of Liberty," 
was the sight of several speeches encouraging independence from Great Britain.

Faneuil Hall, Boston

MARYLAND

Baltimore was established in 1729, and served as a bustling seaport.

It was once the second largest port of entry for immigrants.

Nearby Fort Henry was the inspiration for The Star Spangled Banner.

Baltimore Harbor

RHODE ISLAND

Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams,
after he was banished from Massachusetts 
for advocating religious tolerance and separation of church and state.
It was the first state to renounce its allegiance
to King George III of England in May of 1776.

Rhode Island State House

 

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut's founder, Thomas Hooker, preached a sermon in 1638
that led to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut,
the first constitution to be adopted by the American colonies.
That doctrine, ensuring the rights of free men to elect their public officials, 
laid the groundwork for The U.S. Constitution 150 years later.

College campus somewhere in Connecticut.

 NEW HAMPSHIRE

New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the federal Constitution,
making it the final state needed to put it into effect.

A long, LONG time ago in North Conway, New Hampshire

DELAWARE

Delaware was the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
Thomas Jefferson nicknamed it the "jewel among the states"
because of its prime location on the eastern seaboard.

Delaware Memorial Bridge, connecting New Jersey and Delaware.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina was the first state to direct its delegates to
vote for independence from the British Crown during the Continental Congress. 

I'm sorry, NC. I have fond feelings of my time spent on your beautiful beaches at Cape Hatteras, but those photos have gone missing. This may or may not be a billboard in NC on I-95.

 SOUTH CAROLINA

Tobacco and cotton plantation owners were strongly reliant on slaves for their prosperity.

Former slave quarters on the Magnolia Plantation property outside of Charleston, SC.

NEW JERSEY

New Jersey's first state constitution in 1776, gave women and blacks the right to vote.
In 1778, Alexander Hamilton visited the city of Paterson and was so impressed,
that he mandated it to become the first planned industrial city
when he became Secretary of Treasury.

The Great Falls National Historic Park, Paterson, NJ (home town of yours, truly.)

PENNSYLVANIA

The Declaration of Independence was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was home to several famous colonists, 
including Thomas Paine, who invented the phrase the United States Of America, 
and Benjamin Franklin.

View of the City of Brotherly Love seen from the Museum of Art.

 

GEORGIA

Georgia was the last of the colonies to be established -- 50 years after the other twelve.
James Oglethorpe, the colony's first governor, 
did not believe in slavery.

The Pirate's House, an historic restaurant and tavern in Savannah, established in 1753. A portion of the structure was erected in 1734, making it the oldest standing building in Georgia.

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

- Preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

HAPPY JULY 4TH!!!

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