So You Say You Want a Revolution...

This morning I was explaining to Prada why we were home from work on a weekday. I reached back into my mind for the exact reasons we were home today. I used to be something of a history whiz in high school. I scored a 5 on the AP history test (much to the surprise of even my teacher) which meant I tested out of taking any history in college. This actually made me sad and in hindsight, I should have taken some classes because now the facts and reasonings I once all knew so clearly are simply lurking in my head somewhere.

So this morning Prada, got a lesson that was a little convoluted. It's a good thing she didn't have a clue of what I was talking about because it went from some quotes from the Declaration, to a discussion of French involvement. I worked Betsy Ross in there. And mentioned some of the key players - Jefferson (who really thought Independence Day should be celebrated on July 2 since that was the day the secret vote was taken to formally secede from Great Britain), Adams, Washington and Hancock. I finished up by telling her that several of these characters, in their final days hung on until the Fourth of July to finally call it quits. Both Prada and Chris were quite impressed by this bit of information.

So that is what we are all celebrating today with parades, fireworks, and barbecues: some guys who decided that in the course of human events it was time to go out on their own because all men are created equal and have certain unalienable rights. They were radicals of their time and it's interesting to see how far we have come from the ideals they fought so hard for. I'm not sure that in today's political climate most people would agree with our founding fathers.