On July 4, 1776, during a Congressional meeting, came the “unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.” Signed by 56 men, it opens with a long and elegant sentence whose first words every American child knows: “When in the Course of human events…”

The document created what is today, “THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA”, and 246 years after its inception we celebrate our independence. 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”.

DCSMEC hopes that you have a great holiday. Enjoy the fireworks, BBQ’s, movies and outings with family & friends. Be safe out there and take a moment to remember and appreciate the opportunity we have all been given, by those enlightened 56 brave men 246 years ago. 

The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress representing the 13 colonies, July 4, 1776: 

Georgia

Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton

Massachusetts

John Hancock (Maryland), Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll (of Carrollton)

Virginia

George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

Pennsylvania

Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware

Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

New York

William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey

Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

New Hampshire

Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple

Massachusetts

Samuel Adams, John Adams ,Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island

Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut

Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New Hampshire

Matthew Thornton

God Bless the United States of America. Happy Independence Day!