The Fruits of Independence

Here it is Fourth of July Weekend, well, the day before. I'm headed off to Woolbearers (I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that the yarn I'm using is their fingering weight hand-dyed, the colorway is called Carnival) and to run errands. I'm hoping to find a color in Jamieson's Spindrift to use for the border of my shawl. The picture above is the stock of wool that sits in front of us as we knit---it's there to tempt us with "Coming Soon" signs or new wool...Myra and Suzie really know how to keep us coming back...and it works!!!

On another tack, in the part of my life that is 18th century reenacting, one of the e-lists has been discussing which colony declared independence from Britain first. It seems that North Carolina did, in April of 1776. What a brave thing to do: step forward and say that we are going to rule ourselves, separate from the greatest, most liberal, progressive nation in the world. I looked up the document for the State of New Jersey, because I knew that we had not declared ourselves separate from Britain until July 2, 1776. Here are the opening paragraphs to my state's first Constitution, which held for 68 years, before a newer document replaced it. It is interesting, I think, as it gives a sort of idea as to what the men of New Jersey were thinking separate and yet parallel to what other men, in Philadelphia---just some 30 miles to the southwest---were thinking. It also notes that they had received instruction from the gentlemen in Philadelphia and this document was the result of that instruction:

New Jersey's Constitution, July 2, 1776

WHEREAS all the constitutional authority ever possessed bythe kings of Great Britain over these colonies, or their other dominions, was, by compact, derived from the people, and held ofthem, for the common interest of the whole society; allegiance andprotection are, in the nature of things, reciprocal ties, eachequally depending upon the other, and liable to be dissolved bythe others being refused or withdrawn.

And whereas George theThird, king of Great Britain, has refused protection to the goodpeople of these colonies; and, by assenting to sundry acts of theBritish parliament, attempted to subject them to the absolutedominion of that body; and has also made war upon them, in themost cruen and unnatural manner, for no other cause, thanasserting their just rights -- all civil authority under him is necesarily at an end, and a dissolution of government in each colony has consequently taken place.

And whereas, in the present deplorable situation of these colonies, exposed to the fury of a cruel and relentless enemy, some form of government is absolutely necessary, not only for the preservation of good order, but also the more effectually to unite the people, and enable them to exert their whole force in their own necessary defence: and as the honorable the continental congress, the supreme council of the American colonies, has advised such of the colonies as have not yet gone into measures,to adopt for themselves, respectively, such government as shall best conduce to their own happiness and safety, and the well-beingof America in general: -- We, the representatives of the colony of New Jersey, having been elected by all the counties, in the freest manner, and in congress assembled, have, after mature deliberations, agreed upon a set of charter rights and the form of a Constitution, in manner following, viz.

I. That the government of this Province shall be vested in a Governor, Legislative Council, and General Assembly....

(the whole text can be found at http://www.nj.gov/njfacts/njdoc10a.htm)

On July 8, 1776, in Easton, PA, Trenton, NJ, and Philadelphia, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud for the first time to the public. Here in Trenton, Samuel Tucker, President of the new State of New Jersey read it from the steps of the Hunterdon County Court House. Soon, it would be read to Washington's assembled troops and the war for Independence would continue for five more years of fierce fighting until Yorktown in October, 1781 and then two more years of waiting until word came of the Treaty of Paris, signed in September of 1783.

There is so much to think about, to be thankful to long gone men who fought for nothing more than an idea to be free from tyranny, from laws that in many cases didn't impact most of them. I know I think about it all the time in my reenacting, I'm glad I get to talk to people about it, to express it to them and discuss it with them. It is hard to put in to words, I struggle to do it. I am grateful to live in a country with so many freedoms.