On July 4th we celebrated our 240th anniversary of freedom. The freedom that we should celebrate everyday does not come cheap and has impacted thousands of lives. Who knows where we would be today without the dedication of America's brave men and women.
As a special salute to some of our founders Allen Bell, our curator, wrote a short blog for this month. He highlights some key moments of the Revolution and how men of faith helped shape our country.
“ The Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago on July 4, 1776. This major event might not have happened without the help of the Continental Congressman Caesar Rodney from Delaware He untied the vote of his fellow Delaware delegates by rushing on horseback from Delaware to Philadelphia two days before the final vote. This allowed all 13 colonies to vote for independence from Great Britain.
Many Congressmen did not sign the Declaration until after July 4th because the document's wording had to first be approved. Each signer knew they were putting their life in danger. One example would be Rev. John Witherspoon, delegate from New Jersey, who was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independance. He lost most of his money repairing the College of New Jersey after the British burned some of it down during the war. Many of the delegates suffered more than just a monetary loss though for the price of our freedom.
With so much at stake our founders turned to God for guidance. The use of prayer in government has long been apart of this nation's history. On September 7, 1774 Rev. Jacob Duke prayed in the Continental Congress and ever since then Congress has invoked the guidance of God. In fact, on at least two separate occasions they wanted the populace to join in a time of prayer and fasting. Our country was born by grace of the Almighty God. May God bless the United States of America”
As a special salute to some of our founders Allen Bell, our curator, wrote a short blog for this month. He highlights some key moments of the Revolution and how men of faith helped shape our country.
“ The Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence 240 years ago on July 4, 1776. This major event might not have happened without the help of the Continental Congressman Caesar Rodney from Delaware He untied the vote of his fellow Delaware delegates by rushing on horseback from Delaware to Philadelphia two days before the final vote. This allowed all 13 colonies to vote for independence from Great Britain.
Many Congressmen did not sign the Declaration until after July 4th because the document's wording had to first be approved. Each signer knew they were putting their life in danger. One example would be Rev. John Witherspoon, delegate from New Jersey, who was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independance. He lost most of his money repairing the College of New Jersey after the British burned some of it down during the war. Many of the delegates suffered more than just a monetary loss though for the price of our freedom.
With so much at stake our founders turned to God for guidance. The use of prayer in government has long been apart of this nation's history. On September 7, 1774 Rev. Jacob Duke prayed in the Continental Congress and ever since then Congress has invoked the guidance of God. In fact, on at least two separate occasions they wanted the populace to join in a time of prayer and fasting. Our country was born by grace of the Almighty God. May God bless the United States of America”