Independence Daze: A History of July 4th [rebroadcast]

BackStory

History, Education

4.5 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2016

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the early days of our nation, July Fourth wasn’t an official holiday at all. In fact, it wasn’t until 1938 that it became a paid day-off. So how did the Fourth become the holiest day on our secular calendar? This episode offers some answers. With perspective from guests and taking questions from listeners, Peter, Ed, and Brian explore the origins of July Fourth. They highlight the holiday’s radical roots, look at how the Declaration’s meaning has changed over time, and consider how the descendants of slaves embraced the Declaration’s message of liberty and equality.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is backstory with the American History Guys.
0:02.4	I'm Peter Runner here with my friends Ed and Brian.
0:05.2	That Peter?
0:05.9	Hey Peter.
0:06.9	And I want to read a little something to you all.
0:10.0	We hold these truths to be self-evident
0:12.4	that all men are created equal.
0:14.4	Now as I'm sure a few of you have realized,
0:16.9	Peter is reading from the second paragraph
0:19.0	of the Declaration of Independence.
0:21.0	And although it's the paragraph we all remember,
0:23.1	it wouldn't have made headlines in 1776.
0:25.6	The most important part of the document in the summer of 1776
0:30.2	was the last paragraph.
0:31.8	That's the part that, that, that, that, that, that,
0:34.7	declared independence.
0:36.3	Today I'm backstory, Independence Day.
0:39.2	If the Declaration of Independence was adopted in June,
0:42.7	how come we celebrate the Fourth of July anyway?
0:45.9	They took the Declaration to a local printer
0:48.7	and as any good printer would do, he put a date on it.
0:52.0	July 4th.
	...

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