Happy 4th of July

[eytonxav]

Hope you all have a happy and safe 4th

 

[Coach]

Thanks, and best wishes to you this day.

The Fourth is special this year, because we're also recognizing the 150th anniversary of the battle at Gettysburg. Abraham Lincoln's address at the consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg spoke to the values and principles of American independence. He said,

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Coach

 

[obgyn65]

Happy 4th to all.

 

[UserRequested]

Happy 4th to all my American friends. Miss working with you, but more than that miss the good times outside of work.

 

[Brett_Cameron]

Thanks, and best wishes to you this day.

The Fourth is special this year, because we're also recognizing the 150th anniversary of the battle at Gettysburg. Abraham Lincoln's address at the consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg spoke to the values and principles of American independence. He said,

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Coach

This is also the day that Gen. Grant forced the surrender of the city of Vicksburg. He delayed formal surrender for a day so that it would fall on Independence day. As a result Independence day was not celebrated in the city until the 1950's when President Eisenhower came to town, then not regularly until the 1990's.

It is interesting since the people of Vicksburg did not vote for secession but conformed to the way the state voted. I guess the hardship of having to eat your domesticated animals to survive and the aftermath of the surrender created this.

 

[pb4uski]

Happy Independence Day to all!!!

When I was working I worked with some colleagues and clients in the UK and it seemed that for two or three years in a row we had transactions where the crunch time was around the Independence Day holiday and I ended up getting stuck on conference calls. They seemed mystified as to the signficance of this US holiday and I explained that we annually celebrate gaining independence from "them".

 

[Ronstar]

Happy Independence Day! And thanks to Coach and Brett for bringing further perspective.

 

[obgyn65]

Can someone please explain briefly to an immigrant like me why Gettysburg is so important culturally here? Is it the end of your civil war, the end of slavery, or just the unification of the south and north ? What makes Gettysburg so special in the US psyche?

 

[Ronstar]

Can someone please explain briefly to an immigrant like me why Gettysburg is so important culturally here? Is it the end of your civil war, the end of slavery, or just the unification of the south and north ? What makes Gettysburg so special in the US psyche?

Most casualties of any civil war battle and turning point in the war

 

[M Paquette]

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!


Nothing says "Celebrate America" quite like drinking beer and playing with explosives! ;-)

"Hey, hold my beer and watch this..."

 

[braumeister]

Most casualties of any civil war battle and turning point in the war

Also the site of one of the most eloquent speeches ever given.

Not much to do with why the 4th of July (Independence Day) is celebrated in a big way here, but a significant part of our nation's heritage.

 

[Coach]

Can someone please explain briefly to an immigrant like me why Gettysburg is so important culturally here? Is it the end of your civil war, the end of slavery, or just the unification of the south and north ? What makes Gettysburg so special in the US psyche?

I'm no historian, but Gettysburg may have been the most important battle of the Civil War. It was a turning point in a war that had been going badly for the Union. It was also the deadliest battle of the war, with something on the order of 50,000 casualties on both sides.

The Civil War is very heavily imprinted on the American psyche. I think more Americans were killed in the Civil War than in every other war we've fought combined, at a time when the population was a fraction of what it is today. Literally, brothers were fighting brothers. The Civil War preserved the union and ended slavery at enormous cost. It was the greatest threat this nation has ever faced. And President Lincoln was assassinated days after General Lee surrendered.

I'm much more strongly reminded of the Civil War when traveling in the South. There are many monuments and statues remembering the war. I think the Civil War was far more costly to the South in more than a financial sense.

 

[Ronstar]

Also the site of one of the most eloquent speeches ever .

Very true. I read an article a few days ago saying that it was the best speech of all time, and one for speakers to emulate. The speech has brevity, a comparison between current conditions and the Lincoln's vision for the future, and an inspiration to the audience in that Lincoln includes them as parties that can mold the future.

 

[SumDay]

Happy 4th of all ER folks!

And if you haven't seen ESPN's tribute to our military and their families, and you have a spare ~6 minutes, grab a hankie and give it a watch. It this doesn't get your patriotic juices flowing, nothing will:

SC Featured: Going Home - ESPN Video - ESPN

 

[FIREd]

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

 

[veremchuka]

Happy Independence Day!

Recently I came to realize that referring to today as the 4th of July or July 4th clouds the meaning of the day. July 4th is my mother's birthday and a date on the calendar. Independence Day is the day we declared our freedom from the English crown and became a new nation.

I now view this the same as when people say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas. What holiday? Labor Day? Flag Day? Presidents Day? No it is a specific holiday so let's call it by it's proper name. I now prefer to call today Independence Day as it used to be referred to. I have always preferred Merry Christmas vs Happy Holiday.

I think it is important not to turn these holidays into a generic soup. I am not singling out anyone in this thread just saying what I think is an important concept.

 

[ER Eddie]

Independence/Freedom is what this site is all about.

One more year until my personal independence day.

 

[JakeBrake]

This is also the day that Gen. Grant forced the surrender of the city of Vicksburg. He delayed formal surrender for a day so that it would fall on Independence day. As a result Independence day was not celebrated in the city until the 1950's when President Eisenhower came to town, then not regularly until the 1990's.

It is interesting since the people of Vicksburg did not vote for secession but conformed to the way the state voted. I guess the hardship of having to eat your domesticated animals to survive and the aftermath of the surrender created this.

Some people may not know that most of the Confederate soldiers within the siege lines who surrendered at Vicksburg were paroled. Theoretically, they were supposed to go home and study war no more, but most of them returned to the Confederate Army and served in later campaigns in the lower South, like Atlanta.

At Vicksburg (also Gettysburg and most major Civil War battle grounds) the Confederate and Federal positions and unit designations are clearly marked. So, if you know what units your ancestors served in you can stand where they stood.

 

[Sarah in SC]

FWIW, we celebrate Carolina Day here in Charleston as being a very significant day in our local history. As I remind my UK friends regularly.