Happy 4th of July!

Yes, time for your history lesson! On this date in 1776, the

Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental

Congress by the 13 British Colonies in America. The Declara-

tion listed all the grievances of the Colonies against the

British monarch (at the time, King George III) and declared

the Colonies to be free and independent states; it was

unanimously endorsed by all the delegates. As the website

for the History Channel states, this event "marked the cul-

mination of a political process that had begun as a protest

against oppressive restrictions imposed by the mother

country on colonial trade, manufacturing, and political liberty

and had developed into a revolutionary struggle resulting in

the establishment of a new nation." Wow, I couldn't have

said it better myself, Happy 231st Birthday U.S.A.!