“I’m so thrown off with 4th of July being a Friday this year – I keep thinking today’s Saturday! And most people get a three-day weekend at work, but apparently my job is so important they’re making us work today, holiday or not! I never get any fun on weekday holidays; my life stinks!”
“Mm-hm. Did you know that General Washington and the Continental Army spent Christmas Day 1776 marching in freezing weather and then Christmas Night crossing the Delaware River to then fight a battle at Trenton? Most of the U.S. soldiers barely had any shoes, or clothing warm enough, and two of them froze to death.”
“….”
“….”
“You know, I always say working on a holiday has its perks: the pay’s great and it’s usually quiet, so I really don’t mind it at all, ever!”
“Mm-hm.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Ugh, Internet’s out again! How’m I supposed to get anything done if it keeps going out – ooh, it’s back! – nope, it’s out again – what a tease! I think it’s trying to give me a heart attack: this is just the worst, the absolute worst, right when I’m trying to message the group to meet up for fireworks, tonight of all nights, arrrrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!!”
“Mm-hm. Did you know that messages travelled so slowly in the 1700s that sometimes it was months before England received an update on how the American Revolutionary War was going? And sometimes messages sent from one part of the Continental Army to another got there too late, or never at all?”
“…Months, eh? That’s rough.”
“Yes it was.”
“…Suppose I could just use my phone and call everyone.”
“Mm-hm.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“4th of July, woo-hoo! Independence from tyranny! Resistance against oppression! Freedom from imperial bondage!”
“Mm-hm. Did you know that quite a few members of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, including its leader, enslaved their fellow human beings and failed to appreciate the irony of the situation?”
“Huh?”
“A number of soldiers themselves actually were enslaved, and certainly didn’t receive any independence or freedom when the war was over.”
“Umm….”
“There was no complete official freedom from slavery in the U.S. until June 19, 1865, almost 90 years after the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that ‘all men’ have the right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’”
“…Oh. Guess ‘all men are created equal’ really left out a lot of people, huh?”
“Mm-hm.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“I love 4th of July fireworks, don’t you?”
“Mm-hm.”
“Makes you almost feel like you’re in the middle of a Revolutionary War battle, doesn’t it?”
“Mm-hm. Did you know that the cannons, muskets, and bayonets used in the American Revolutionary War actually – ”
“Stop, OK? Just stop: I take back what I said, just let me enjoy the pretty shapes and colors and things that go ‘boom.’”
“…Oh, all right.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
“Ugh, 4th of July being over a three-day weekend is such a drag! I have parties every day, and fireworks every night, I’m gonna be exhausted by the time I get back to work on Monday, I’ll need a vacation from having time off!”
“Mm-hm. Did you know that the soldiers in the American Revolutionary War often had to sleep with their muskets and march day and night ready to fight when they arrived, hoping they’d win, hoping they’d eventually get paid, hoping they’d be able to go home one day, and hoping their families and farms or business would still be there when they got back?”
“…You know, I love how people get so much in the spirit of the holiday and are so generous to invite me to all their parties! Makes me appreciate the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that so many people sacrificed so much for future generations to benefit from, don’t you agree?”
“Mm-hm.”