Friday, July 4, 2008
Tribute for the 4th

Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light...

In 1751, the Province of Pennsylvania sought a bell for its State House to "call the public together." Key members of the Pennsylvania Assembly sent a letter to their London-based colonial agent, Robert Charles, to make an appropriate purchase.

After the bell was received, it was not hung for six months, and when finally placed into position at the State House steeple in March 1753, the Bell cracked on the first test stroke of its clapper.

Two Philadelphia foundry workers, John Pass and John Stow, then offered to recast the Bell.

The Pass and Stow Bell remained in the State House steeple to be used for calling the Assembly together and summoning people on special occasions and events. The State House was many years later renamed Independence Hall, and the steeple Bell would come to be known as the Liberty Bell.

Listen:
Melora Creager - "American Girl" (mp3 cover)
Ani DiFranco - "Independence Day" (mp3)
Bruce Springsteen - "4th of July, Asbury Park" (mp3)

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10:26 AM
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Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy 4th of July!

Woohoo! It is the U.S. Independence Day.

Quick history lesson for you..

I got this excerpt from a book written by Pauline Maier. This particular passage is actually included on the government website for The United States Department of State...
"The Declaration of Independence is in fact a curious document. After the Civil War members of Lincoln's party tried to write its principles into the Constitution by enacting the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which is why issues of racial or age or gender equality are now so often fought out in the courts. But the Declaration of Independence itself is not and has never been legally binding. Its power comes from its capacity to inspire and move the hearts of living Americans, and its meaning lies in what they choose to make of it. It has been at once a cause of controversy, pushing as it does against established habits and conventions, and a unifying national icon, a legacy and a new creation that binds the revolutionaries to descendants who confronted and continue to confront issues the Founders did not know or failed to resolve. On Independence Day, then, Americans celebrate not simply the birth of their nation or the legacy of a few great men. They also commemorate a Declaration of Independence that is their own collective work now and through time. And that, finally, makes sense of the Fourth of July."
And now that the nerd fest is over...hehe, here is some music for you. May not all be patriotic, but the word July or America is probably in the title. And so it's being included.

Adam McIntyre - "America" (mp3)
Ani DiFranco - "Independence Day" (mp3)
Cary Judd - "American Girl" (mp3)
Cat Power - "American Flag" (mp3)
Def Leppard - "Hello America" (mp3)
The Damnwells - "God Bless America" (m4a)
The National - "American Mary" (mp3)
The New Pornographers - "July Jones" (mp3)
U2 - "4th of July" (mp3)

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8:01 AM
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