As we remembered 1776 and celebrated the anniversary of the birth of the United States of America, countless Americans were reminded, if only for a day, of the heroic beginnings of this great nation.
Many years have passed since that sweltering summer in Philadelphia when the Declaration of Independence was signed, but they are only a short time in the flow of history. Extraordinary men laid it all on the line as the colonies broke away from the motherland and started a new, sovereign nation.