Celebration of Independence Day 2000:
Independence Day Luncheon
11:00 a.m. at the Sheraton Society Hill and the
National Bell Ringing Ceremony
2:00 p.m. on Independence Square

INDEPENDENCE DAY LUNCHEON

"LET FREEDOM RING"

ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT EMERITUS DARBY

ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT CHEYNEY

ADDRESS OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL FULFORD

INDEPENDENCE DAY LUNCHEON

The Society's Independence Day celebration convened at the Sheraton Society Hill, at 11 a.m. and began with a half-hour reception, followed by a sit-down luncheon. President Curtis Paul Cheyney, III presided at the event and was joined at the head table by his wife, Barbara, the guest of honor and principal speaker, Lieutenant General Carlton W. Fulford, Jr., USMC, Director, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Marianne; the Pennsylvania Society Chaplain, Reverend William Preston Proctor; Pennsylvania Society President Emeritus, D. Weston Darby, Jr., and his wife, Marge; Pennsylvania Society Vice-President, Leroy Moody Lewis, III, and his wife, Nancy; and the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Society's Independence Day Committee, Joseph Charles Byrne. Mr. Byrne is a member of the Society's Board of Managers and 2000 was his third consecutive year chairing the Independence Day Committee.

Among the many distinguished guests of the Pennsylvania Society were the Honorable John Street, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia; Christopher Schillizzi, Chief, Interpretation and Visitor Services, Independence National Historical Park; Colonel Mark E. Stearns, USAF, of the 305th Air Mobile Wing, McGuire Air Force Base, and his wife, Darcy; Robert W. Scammell, Jr., General Captain of the Color Guard, and his wife, Linda; Laurence S. Stearns, D.D.S., President of the New York Society, his wife, Lillian, and their son, Larry, Jr.; and Lynn S. Nicklas, Pennsylvania State Regent, Daughters of the American Revolution.

A total of 195 members and guests attended the Independence Day luncheon.

Philip Schuyler Pyne, President-General of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI), presented seven young members of the DSDI to President Cheyney as Liberty Bell tappers for the year 2000. They were Samantha Lee Minsk, 7, and her older brother, Aaron Wells Minsk, 10, who had traveled with their parents from Puyallup, Washington; Hope Elizabeth Staller, 5 years old, of Huntingdon Beach, California; Anne C. Ward, 9, and her older brother, William B. Ward, Jr., of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and Jeffrey A. Ward, Jr. and his older sister, Alicia M. Ward, of Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania. The Minsk and Staller children are descendants of John Hart (ca. 1711-1779) of New Jersey. All four Ward children are descendants of John Morton (c. 1724-1777) of Pennsylvania.

Following the luncheon, the Society's Color Guard -- its members nattily attired in blue blazer, cream-colored slacks, and new Color Guard tie -- assembled at Independence Square. Other members and the guests followed at 1 p.m., marching three blocks from the Sheraton, at 2nd and Walnut Streets, to reserved seating on the Square, entering from the 5th and Walnut Street corner of the Square.

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"LET FREEDOM RING"

The 31st Annual "Let Freedom Ring" and National Bell Ringing Ceremony began at 1:25 p.m., sharp, with the arrival of the Second Pennsylvania Regiment of the Continental Line, a unit of re-enactors commanded by Major C. Paul Loane. At 1:30, the Color Guard of the Pennsylvania Society, led by its Captain, Andrew Jackson Salisbury, II, carried 27 Revolutionary War flags into the Square and presented them to President Cheyney. Vice President Lewis, who served as Master of Ceremonies, welcomed an audience of over 1,200 people (this number is very conservative and includes the 200 members of the Society and their guests) and read the Concurrent Congressional Resolution of 26 June 1963, which declared that the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence should be observed each year by the ringing of bells throughout the United States at the hour of 2 o'clock, eastern daylight time, in the afternoon of the 4th day of July and called upon civic and other community leaders to take appropriate steps to encourage public participation in the observance. Chaplain Proctor then gave the Invocation and President Cheyney led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Following these introductory ceremonies, President Emeritus Darby addressed the crowd on the significance of the Fourth of July; Mayor Street spoke to the unique historical role of Philadelphia in fashioning the greatest nation on earth and to his hope that Philadelphians and their guests on Independence Day would be grateful for the world their ancestors have handed down to them; and President Cheyney introduced the Bell Tappers to the audience. Mr. Cheyney then described the role of the Bell Tappers and asked Pennsylvania Society President Emeritus Mark Frazier Lloyd to accompany Mayor Street in leading the procession of Bell Tappers from Independence Square to the Liberty Bell Pavilion.

At 2 p.m. the great bell in Independence Hall slowly tolled thirteen times. The Bell Tappers simultaneously struck the Liberty Bell with white-gloved hands, as television cameras from all the national networks recorded the event for that evening's newscast and bells rang in unison all across the city and the nation. The Bell Tappers then took questions from the media, describing the historical significance of the Signers of the Declaration and giving their own definitions of liberty. Back at Independence Square, the African Methodist Episcopal Mass Choir, guided by its Musical Director, Richard Norris, sang the National Anthem and the American Originals, led by its Drum Major, Georgia Graves, played a selection from its repertoire of Revolutionary War music.

Following the musical selections, President Cheyney read the Declaration of Independence and addressed the audience on his vision of the American independence. Then Lt. Gen. Fulford gave the keynote address on the role of the U.S. military in defending American freedom.

Let Freedom Ring concluded with the playing of "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes by Pipe Major Emeritus Dennis L. Hangey, of the Pipes and Drums of the Delaware Valley; an artillery salute by the Second Pennsylvania Regiment; taps by the Mirandola Consort; a commemorative flyover by the United States Air Force 305 Air Mobility Wing of McGuire Air Force Base; and the benediction by Chaplain Proctor.

Let Freedom Ring concluded at 2:30 p.m.

"Let Freedom Ring" is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution and its Color Guard in partnership with Sunoco Welcome America!, the City of Philadelphia's "ten-day extravaganza celebrating America's Birthday in America's birthplace." Ronald D. Fenstermacher, Jr., a member of the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society, was Chairman of the "Let Freedom Ring" Committee for 2000.

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ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT EMERITUS D. WESTON DARBY, JR.

"We hold these truths ... "

I am honored to be here today on the anniversary of the birth of our nation.

Though the final chapters of the American testament have not been written, and hopefully never will be, it might contain some fifty writings of great power and persuasion.

It would commence with the Mayflower Compact and include, among others, Thomas Paine's Common Sense, the Bill of Rights, the Monroe Doctrine, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points. In recent memory it would embrace Martin Luther King’s inspirational speech "I Have A Dream" and Douglas MacArthur’s mesmerizing address "Duty Honor Country." Foremost among these would be the Declaration of Independence, an icon not only for all Americans, but, in fact, for the whole world.

The Mayflower Compact may be considered the first precedent in America for our tradition of self-government. It was signed on a cold November day by forty-one men huddled together in the damp, dimly-lighted hold of a very small ship floating in Cape Cod Bay off what would become Massachusetts. These men, later called Pilgrims, some of whom were Separatists, that is, persons separated from the Church of England, had emigrated for "the honor of king and country."

Now acting to maintain unity, as they were far from their intended landing in Virginia, they combined themselves into a civic body for their "better ordering and preservation" and for the "general good of the colony," to which they promised "due submission and obedience." This they did as "loyal subjects" of their Sovereign Lord King James the First. The year was 1620.

One hundred and fifty-six years later, another group of men gathered in the building directly behind me, then called the State House. The circumstances were quite different. It was a hot, humid day in July, on land, in a city, the largest city in America, and the second largest in the English-speaking world. These men, later called Patriots, declared their king, now George the Third, to be a tyrant and proclaimed their united colonies to be free and independent states. The year was 1776.

The year before, Patrick Henry spoke his immortal words. The battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill were done. George Washington had been appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. Earlier in the year, Thomas Paine published his inflammatory pamphlet Common Sense, attacking the monarchy, praising republican government, and calling for immediate independence. Paine declared that the cause of America was the cause of all mankind.

On June 7^th, Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, offered the resolution to the delegates of the Second Continental Congress that would lead to independence. A patrician by birth, Lee was the senior member of the Virginia delegation. He was 45 and would become, years later, a senator from Virginia in the First Congress under the Constitution.

Not wanting to vote on the resolution immediately, as there was not yet sufficient consensus, but knowing that there soon would be, the Continental Congress formed a committee of five to begin drafting the great document: John Adams, 41, of Massachusetts, a Harvard graduate, later second President of the United States; Benjamin Franklin, 70, of Pennsylvania, one of six men who would sign both the Declaration and the Constitution; Thomas Jefferson, 33, of Virginia, schooled at William and Mary, and a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses; and two others who played a minimal role, Robert Livingston of New York and Roger Sherman of Connecticut.

Adams, who incidentally had seconded Lee’s resolution, chose Jefferson to be the draftsman. It was a fortuitous choice. Jefferson, who had been taught law by George Wythe, knew exactly what he wanted to express. He was a superior writer with an excellent mind. Several years before in Williamsburg, he had written "A Summary View of the Rights of British America." He had read George Mason's work "A Declaration of Rights" and he was familiar with Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. He was well prepared for the task.

Jefferson had taken quarters on the southwest comer of Market and Seventh Streets in what became known as the Graff House. (The building was later destroyed, but in recent years it has been reconstructed.) He drafted the document on the second floor. Adams and Franklin suggested minor changes. The committee approved the draft and submitted it to the Continental Congress on June 28^th.

On July 1st, Congress debated Lee's resolution for independence. At the end of the day a test vote indicated only nine delegations were in favor of independence. Pennsylvania and South Carolina were not, Delaware was evenly split, and New York was still awaiting instructions from its convention. A final vote was postponed until the next day.

The following morning, South Carolina decided to join the majority, as did Pennsylvania when two of its opposing members remained away. The count was now eleven for independence. A dramatic appearance by Caesar Rodney, who had been summoned earlier and rode all night and part of the day, broke the tie for Delaware. He favored independence.

The final vote was taken on the resolution: twelve for the United States, zero for the King, with one abstention. On that day, July 2^nd, we had voted ourselves independent of Great Britain. New York made the vote unanimous on July 15th.

You might well think that July 2^nd would be our anniversary. John Adams did, but it was not to be. Rather it was the announcement of that act, in the form of the Declaration of Independence, that has become our birthday.

On July 3^rd, Congress commenced debate on the Declaration. It shortened the document to make it more forceful, but did not alter Jefferson's rich prose and strong logic. As his biographer Dumas Malone has written, the Declaration’s "well-worn phrases still have the freshness of life because it nobly evokes the undying spirit of human freedom."

Witness. It begins — "When in the course of human events" — and continues — "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." And so on.

The Declaration can be divided into four sections: a preamble, a statement of philosophy, a listing of charges against the King, and a resolution for independence. It is the second part — that starts "we hold these truths" — that has given the document its everlasting currency. It talks of natural rights, a term not used today, but well known in the 18^th century.

Borrowing from Dumas Malone, it can be said, "we regard the word ‘rights’ as merely the plural of the word ‘right’ and think of it in the moral sense. Rights, as the people in all ages understand them, are simply what is right. Force does not make right and right derives from no king. It arises from the nature of things. It comes from God and what God has given, no man can take away. Therefore ‘rights’ belong to all men because they are men and these rights last as long as life does. Liberty is right, and God intends that all men shall have it and by the same token, the force that tyrants use can never be anything but wrong." This was Jefferson's testament.

The Declaration resumes — "We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America ... declare that these united colonies are ... free and independent states ..." and it concludes — " ... and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." On July 4^th, this day 224 years ago, John Hancock, president of Congress, and Charles Thomson, secretary, authenticated the Declaration ^{(endnote 1)} with their signatures. It was printed that night by John Dunlap and first read to the populace by John Nixon on July 8^{th (endnote 2)} here in this courtyard. When word was received that New York supported independence, Congress had the Declaration engrossed on parchment. Timothy Matlack, an assistant to Secretary Thomson, was the penman. Most delegates, but not all, signed the document on August 2^nd. The final signer was Thomas McKean of Delaware, who endorsed the document several years later. Altogether, fifty-six patriots affixed their signatures ^{(endnote 3)}.

The Revolutionary War would last for five more years. Yet to come were the triumph at Saratoga in 1777, the bitter winter at Valley Forge, and the final victory at Yorktown in 1781.

From Independence Square in Philadelphia, on this glorious day in the year 2000, 1 wish all of you, and all Americans everywhere, a Happy Birthday.

May God bless the United States.

End Notes

End Note 1: This "working" paper, which may not have been actually signed, is no longer existent. It was sent to the printer on the evening of July 4^th and is believed to have been destroyed in the routine process of typesetting, etc.

End Note 2: Approximately 200 copies of this printed broadside are thought to have been made during the night of July 4. Only 25 are known to exist today, most of which are owned by institutions. One of the very few in private hands was sold by Internet auction this summer. The price was $8.14 million.

End Note 3: This parchment is the one familiar to all of us. It is kept at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., where is may be seen every day of the year.

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ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT CURTIS PAUL CHEYNEY, III

There were two pledges recited on this day. The first was the one we spoke together as the national Pledge of Allegiance; the second was the one read within the Declaration of Independence. It was the Signers of the Declaration who made this second pledge. These were men of courage and conviction, for they knew that their signatures exposed them to great risk. For each one of them, that signature transformed its author into a target and exposed him, for years, to the threat of financial ruin, even execution at the hands of the British. As each brave man answered the roll call of the names of the delegates from the thirteen colonies, 56 not only answered YES, but boldly wrote their signatures on that uncommon document for even King George himself to know them by name. Let me read it again,

It is these extraordinary men of principle and fortitude, who provided for us the model pledge for perfect citizenship in these United States of America. We honor them today and their pledge today. Theirs was a selfless pledge of everything: of their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. It was a mutual pledge to each other, no one holding back anything of value. There was no safe harbor for the abstainer or the fault-finder. It was instead a model pledge, a mutual pledge to each other for a freedom to be realized for everyone. What a standard they established, one which we would be wise to emulate in this, the first year of new millennium.

For these reasons, we assemble at this park to pay homage and to remember those who risked all, and in many instances gave all. Indeed, we pay homage by remembering them and what they did for us. They freed this land from colonial subjection and from the abuses of a foreign monarch. We remember these extraordinary patriots, ill-prepared at times, but never unwilling to lead, or to fight and engage the enemy. We also remember, that when appropriate, our patriotic ancestors were wise enough to seek and embrace both compromise and conciliation and did so despite their own religious and economic differences. As a result they were successful in creating a new concept in government, a government of, by, and for the people.

Lest we forget that freedom and independence were costly, let us return for a moment to those brave men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The great costs of independence were not merely concepts to them; they were realities. Of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence, five were hunted down by the British, captured as traitors and killed. Twelve lost their homes at the hands of the enemy and four lost sons as soldiers who were taken prisoner and died in captivity.

There was nothing cheap or easy for those men in gaining freedom and independence. And for us, independence is equally costly to preserve in this world. It is therefore fitting to remember those who have risked or suffered ruin and death and honor our debt to those of both great and little fame or recognition, especially those whose individual deaths were not chronicled and who were buried unknown.

The bodies of several scores of such men, yes an estimated 2,000 unsung heroes, perhaps as many as ten percent of all Revolutionary War dead, rest in their true peace merely yards away from us beneath the soil of Washington Square. For this reason a large number of interested organizations and governmental agencies — our Society, its Color Guard, other societies dedicated to the celebration of the history of the Revolutionary War, the City of Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the American Revolution Patriot Fund — have come together for the purpose of restoring, preserving, and maintaining that sacred site.

When William Penn, our first Governor, planned and dedicated his five city parks for his "Greene Country Towne," he could not have foreseen that beneath one of his square would lie a most holy of sacred national relics, the very bones of its heroes, men who answered their new-born country’s first call to arms.

The work of preservation and restoration, a two-phase project of nearly $5 million, is virtually complete. In the near future the management of this seven-acre public park will be turned over to the U.S. Park Service and incorporated into Independence National Historical Park.

It is our hope and desire that before you consider the day’s ceremonies to be concluded that you will leave Independence Square, pass over Walnut Street to Washington Square, and there take a final moment of remembrance at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War. Before you depart, consider the monument’s inscription — "Freedom is a Light for Which Many Men Have Died in Darkness" — and the continuing significance it has for all us here and throughout our nation.

To conclude this ceremony without personal reflection and remembrance of these soldiers would only add to their injury and the tide of their abandon. Instead, let us consider that they are a party to this celebration. And together with them we celebrate the Fourth of July with joy, hope and a good spirit, remembering all those who forged our independence.

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ADDRESS OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL CARLTON W. FULFORD, JR., USMC

Mayor Street, Mr. Cheyney - Thank you for inviting me to your historic, beautiful city and allowing me to represent General Shelton - the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and our wonderful men and women who serve in the Armed Forces of our Great Nation. Distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, visitors from foreign lands who are joining us in this special place to celebrate this magnificent day…

It is a great honor for me, and my wife Mary Ann, to be here in Independence Square, Philadelphia, to take part in the National Bell Ringing Ceremony. The honor is all the greater, because we are at the dawn of a new century with both challenge and promise.

As I began to think about what I should say today, I wondered what must have happened here on July 4, 1900 - as the 20^th century began. Our nation had just finished the dark days of the Civil War and the Republic had survived! America was reunited, and Westward expansion was well underway. Life was grand for a nation 124 years old. At that celebration — on this site, no doubt — who could have foreseen that the 20^th century would be the costliest century in our world's history in terms of lives lost in wars. Our nation engaged in five Wars and numerous conflicts in that century at a cost of over a million lives. Shortly after the century began, we were in the "war to end all wars" fighting alongside our forefathers in Europe to defeat tyranny and preserve freedom and liberty. Shortly after that, we were back at war — again a World War — to preserve liberty around the globe. We celebrate the veterans of that war as America's greatest generation. It is unquestioned that they changed the course of our nation and led us to become the beacon of democracy and strength we are today. We fought again in Korea, to help a fledging democracy defeat the threat of tyranny. Last week we began celebrating fifty years since that war. Great young men and women answered our nation's call and went to battle for another nation’s freedom. Today the Republic of Korea is a strong democratic nation, an economic engine of Asia, and a remarkable demonstration of what a people can do if they are given the freedom to develop as a world society. Next we went to war in South Viet Nam — again, to help another country overcome a threat to its freedom and liberty. That was my first war and there more than fifty thousand Americans gave their lives in service to their country. Today, that country is under the rule of a repressive Communist government, one of the few remaining Communist states in the world. That story is not complete, however, as a younger generation of Vietnamese are hungry for economic growth, personal freedom and individual liberty. The men and women who fought in that war can be proud of their sacrifices. Their efforts were not in vain. And lastly, just 10 years ago, we went to war in Kuwait, to free a nation that had been brutally occupied by a ruthless dictator, intent on robbing the Kuwaiti people of their nation and its resources. Fortunately, the price for this victory — in terms of lives — was very small. This war did demonstrate our nation's intolerance for tyrants and once again, put us in the forefront of the world's nations as a beacon for freedom and liberty. As Bob Dole said in a White House event for World War II veterans just last week, "Our nation has preserved liberty and freedom in the process of fighting our nation's wars, and every country in the world looks to us when it comes to democracy and freedom and liberty."

There were many other smaller conflicts around the world that required the American serviceman or woman to go into harm's way during the 20^th century. The last was only a little over a year ago, when our brave men and women helped contain a brutal tyrant in Yugoslavia and prevent a human tragedy of the worst order in Kosovo. As we celebrate here today, we must remember that thousands of our men and women in uniform are serving around the world to help preserve peace and freedom.

We must also remember another victory, in what was known as the "Cold War." A world divided, between two ideals: one of freedom and democracy, and the other of communism and repression. Our nation won this war not with military might alone, but with economic, diplomatic, and political might. Millions of Americans participated in this war and in the end we won because of the commitment of the American people to the same principals of the founding fathers that we celebrate, here, today.

So, as we stand here, on the threshold of the 21^st century, what lies ahead? The pace of change has accelerated exponentially. It took two weeks for the First Continental Congress to learn that shots had been fired at Concord in 1774. Kids - they didn't have e-mail then. Today, globalization and instant communication makes us aware of events almost as soon as they happen. I would like to believe this openness will lead to an era of peace and stability and that all mankind can enjoy those same unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that our forefathers proclaimed for our nation here in this place. That is my fervent prayer. I hope our world will never again see the death and destruction it saw during this past century.

I do believe, if there is any hope for our world to move through this next century, that we, like our forefathers, will have to remain vigilant and ready. That famous American philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said, "You got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there." I submit that our nation knows where it is going and with God's help, not only will we get there, but also we will remain that beacon of freedom and liberty for the entire world.

Thomas Paine wrote, "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it." As Mr. Cheyney has noted, the authors of the Declaration of Independence that we celebrate here today ended that document with these words, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our Sacred Honor." In the spirit of the Signers, I say to you, as we enter the 21^st century, we must be just as dedicated to the principles that have made our nation great. That is why John Adams wrote Abigail on the day the Declaration of Independence was signed and said, "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more."

That is why you hold this ceremony each year. Thank you for doing that. It is why thousands of Americans across our nation will celebrate today. It is indeed important that our children be part of this: that they will know and understand why our freedom is so precious; that they will understand the sacrifices of our founding fathers here in Philadelphia, across this great land, and throughout the world; and that they will make that same commitment to preserve freedom and liberty, no matter what the sacrifice. We owe that to our forefathers and we owe that to our children. 100 years from now, when people gather to celebrate in this very place, they will no doubt ask what was said a century before. They won’t know the simple words we speak today, but if we fulfill our obligations to our nation, they will know that America remains the bastion of freedom and liberty for all the world to see. May God make it so. Happy Fourth of July, Happy Independence Day, and may God bless America.