Happy Independence Day! Fascinating article in link, well written. I never thought about how the Second Amendment as well as other Bill of Rights Amendments have ties back to things like " the persecution of Protestants in France in the 1680s."; the overthrow of King James II in 1688 (One of King James’s offenses was to attempt to disarm Protestants. He was seen as pro-Catholic and there were fears he was planning to force conversions.); and " the ideas of political thinkers of Europe’s Enlightenment.” John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in particular, expounded on the “social contract.”"
To be fair, Congress’s work was done, except for the signatures. The delay was due to the printers.
FWIW, in 1776 the 2nd of July was on a Tuesday and the 4th was on a Thursday, so now you’ve got another piece of trivia with which to annoy your friends this Independence Day. You’re welcome.
My Sister will be 74,on the 4th.She thought everyone was celebrating her birthday.Quite a letdown finding out the national celebration with sparklers,and fireworks.
“Every nation has the government it deserves.”—Joseph de Maistre
One bad hire is a mistake. Two bad hires is an off day. Bad hire after bad hire after bad hire? It’s more than time to look at the people doing the hiring.
The Continental Congress only had one chamber with 3 reps for each colony, so 39 people (not sure if John Hancock was a voting member acting as the President of the Congress), so it was a much smaller body then even the Senate by itself now. But it took a long time to get a resolution on independence to the floor even so, as the slavers in the south were afraid of the word ‘freedom’.
For the most part, over most of my life, I’ve thought that the slower they moved the better off the nation was. Still pretty much the same, though the flavor’s different now that Presidents use Executive Orders to change things instantly.
Even more importantly, it would have not only messed up the meter but wiped out entirely perhaps the best and I would have to say best-known double-dactyl poem* ever:
Higgledy PiggledyPresident Jefferson
Gave up the ghost on the
Fourth of July.
So did John Adams, whichShows that such patriots
Propagandistically
Knew how to die.
In fact, three of the first five presidents cashed in their pensions on July 4. James Monroe did, too, but without the panache — Jefferson and Adams died not only on the same date, but hours apart, in 1826; Adams’ dying words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives” — and with a much less doggerel-friendly syllabic pattern to his name.
Unless something ironic happens today, no presidents have died on July 2. Nor were any born on July 2, at least none that we know of yet. One, however, was born on July 4:
Furthermore, 7/4,
John Calvin Coolidge’s
lady Victoria
had a son whom
many years later oneWarren G. Harding would
make his vice president,
then leave the room.
I don’t know who wrote the Jefferson-Adams poem, and I’m not quite ready to admit who just made up the Coolidge one, so the George M. Cohan song it is.
_______________
*a double dactyl is like a limerick on steroids. It’s eight lines total, in two 4-line stanzas with the syllabic count going 6-6-6-4, 6-6-6-4 with the 6-syllable lines being double-dactylic, meaning HARD-soft-soft-HARD-soft-soft. For example, the first line (which is typically nonsense) is commonly “higgledy-piggledy.” A double-dactyl, like a limerick, is taken to be humorous, though the word “Nantucket” doesn’t show up in nearly as many of them.
Mr Nobody almost 5 years ago
One of my favorite movies ever starring one of my favorite actors ever.
sandpiper almost 5 years ago
Congress has improved on its timing since. Those two days would have become several presidential election cycles.
asrialfeeple almost 5 years ago
They were just getting started, Frazz.
snappyboy almost 5 years ago
Let’s address the real reason the Continental Congress got something accomplished, NO POLITICIANS, just Statesmen!
Sportymonk almost 5 years ago
Happy Independence Day! Fascinating article in link, well written. I never thought about how the Second Amendment as well as other Bill of Rights Amendments have ties back to things like " the persecution of Protestants in France in the 1680s."; the overthrow of King James II in 1688 (One of King James’s offenses was to attempt to disarm Protestants. He was seen as pro-Catholic and there were fears he was planning to force conversions.); and " the ideas of political thinkers of Europe’s Enlightenment.” John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in particular, expounded on the “social contract.”"
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-17/origins-second-amendment?fbclid=IwAR0WNZEa-1tDfAcq2d0QQVNiARHDwHo6D3SizKb_5B3ModYFEDT9ioFlpls
jessegooddog almost 5 years ago
Nailed it all the way around!
Richard S Russell Premium Member almost 5 years ago
To be fair, Congress’s work was done, except for the signatures. The delay was due to the printers.
FWIW, in 1776 the 2nd of July was on a Tuesday and the 4th was on a Thursday, so now you’ve got another piece of trivia with which to annoy your friends this Independence Day. You’re welcome.
Herb L 1954 almost 5 years ago
My Sister will be 74,on the 4th.She thought everyone was celebrating her birthday.Quite a letdown finding out the national celebration with sparklers,and fireworks.
phoenixnyc almost 5 years ago
“Every nation has the government it deserves.”—Joseph de Maistre
One bad hire is a mistake. Two bad hires is an off day. Bad hire after bad hire after bad hire? It’s more than time to look at the people doing the hiring.
dogday Premium Member almost 5 years ago
Oh how sweetly you sink the knife, Mr. Mallet!
Nick Danger almost 5 years ago
The Continental Congress only had one chamber with 3 reps for each colony, so 39 people (not sure if John Hancock was a voting member acting as the President of the Congress), so it was a much smaller body then even the Senate by itself now. But it took a long time to get a resolution on independence to the floor even so, as the slavers in the south were afraid of the word ‘freedom’.
Concretionist almost 5 years ago
For the most part, over most of my life, I’ve thought that the slower they moved the better off the nation was. Still pretty much the same, though the flavor’s different now that Presidents use Executive Orders to change things instantly.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] almost 5 years ago
Posts Frazz 17 hrs ·
Even more importantly, it would have not only messed up the meter but wiped out entirely perhaps the best and I would have to say best-known double-dactyl poem* ever:
Higgledy PiggledyPresident Jefferson
Gave up the ghost on the
Fourth of July.
So did John Adams, whichShows that such patriots
Propagandistically
Knew how to die.
In fact, three of the first five presidents cashed in their pensions on July 4. James Monroe did, too, but without the panache — Jefferson and Adams died not only on the same date, but hours apart, in 1826; Adams’ dying words were “Thomas Jefferson still survives” — and with a much less doggerel-friendly syllabic pattern to his name.
Unless something ironic happens today, no presidents have died on July 2. Nor were any born on July 2, at least none that we know of yet. One, however, was born on July 4:
Furthermore, 7/4,
John Calvin Coolidge’s
lady Victoria
had a son whom
many years later oneWarren G. Harding would
make his vice president,
then leave the room.
I don’t know who wrote the Jefferson-Adams poem, and I’m not quite ready to admit who just made up the Coolidge one, so the George M. Cohan song it is.
_______________
*a double dactyl is like a limerick on steroids. It’s eight lines total, in two 4-line stanzas with the syllabic count going 6-6-6-4, 6-6-6-4 with the 6-syllable lines being double-dactylic, meaning HARD-soft-soft-HARD-soft-soft. For example, the first line (which is typically nonsense) is commonly “higgledy-piggledy.” A double-dactyl, like a limerick, is taken to be humorous, though the word “Nantucket” doesn’t show up in nearly as many of them.
brewmenn almost 5 years ago
Hey… I was born on the 2nd of July what’s wrong with that?