In the 19th century and into the early part of the 20th century it was customary that on the Fourth of July a public official–a mayor, a judge, a justice of the peace–would recite the text of the Declaration of Independence in a public place for residents to come together as a community and celebrate our independence.
Like many traditions, this one faded, and now it is difficult to find such an event anywhere in the nation, let alone one’s hometown. I’m aiming to amend that today in Loudoun County, Virginia.
The text of the Declaration is mostly the work of our third president, Thomas Jefferson. At the time Jefferson was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from Virginia, and three years later he would be elected governor of this state. Jefferson was the main author among a committee of five men tasked with composing a formal document proclaiming our independence from the kingdom of Great Britain. The committee presented its work to the entire congress at the end of June 1776.
The final, edited version of what they delivered was accepted by a larger committee, then was printed in colonial newspapers on July 4, 1776. Today it can be found in less than a second via any Internet search. Or, to hear it read, come to the Sterling Community Center playground today at 11 a.m. The center is located at 120 Enterprise Street in Sterling, Virginia. The speaker will be the author of this blog.