Happy birthday America! We at MTB Windows & More wish everyone a happy and safe Independence Day.
The July 4th celebrations of 2020 might be some of the strangest in recent history. The events of the first half of this year have left some people angry toward our nation. Others are emboldened in their love of country. The rest of the people are simply focused of staying healthy, hoping things get better. But there will be celebrations, because this marks the 242nd year of independence from Britain.
We hope and pray these celebrations will cause unity and not division. Our hope is that everyone will focus on the accomplishments and not the mistakes.
We’ve collected some interesting facts about this holiday and our great country. Keep reading to learn more about the United States of America.
Home Improvements After the Independence Day Celebrations
Is this the summer you planned to do a home improvement project? Do you need new windows? Is your roof at the end of its life? For those jobs or others, contact our home improvement experts for an estimate today. We do home improvement projects and home repair throughout the Tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Our estimator for quotes on replacement windows, siding, roofing, and exterior doors.
We use top-quality building materials. Our choice for replacement windows is Andersen Windows,because they help insulate a home so well AND add a layer of security. Security is also a key feature of the great-looking exterior doors made by Therma-Tru. And, the GAF Shingle System we use is among the best on the market for durability and resisting mold and stains.
We work in Hagerstown, Clear Spring, Sharpsburg, Boonsboro, Mercersburg, Greencastle, Berkeley Springs, etc…
How Independence Came to Be
For years, the colonies and England had been at odds when the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia. In the June 7, 1776 session in the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution. These are his now-famous words:
“Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.”
These words lead to the drafting of a statement presenting to the world the colonies’ case for independence. That lead Thomas Jefferson to draft The Declaration of Independence.
The facts below add the historical mystique of America’s early years.
Interesting Facts About America’s Birthday & Early Years
- The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men, eight of which were British.
- The oldest signer of the document was 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania.
- The first reading of the Declaration of Independence was in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. The public was summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.
- Presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on July 4th.
- Adams was the first president to live in the White House, when it opened in 1800.
- Abraham Lincoln is America’s tallest president, at six feet, four inches. James Madison was our shortest president, standing just five feet, four inches.
- The original Capital of the United States was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.
- Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase was the first face on the one dollar bill.
- The Secret Service was created on the day Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. However, it wasn’t the role of the agency to protect the president until 1901. It was created to track down counterfeiters.