Happy Birthday, America
On the 4th of July in 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the final version of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britian, edited by Thomas Jefferson. This date is therefore, declared as our Independence Day! We were only 13 Colonies in the beginning, founded between 1607 and 1733.
Some fun facts: The Colonies were named after specific people and places.
Virginia: Named in honor of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the “Virgin Queen.”
Massachusetts: Named after the Massachusett Native American tribe, which translates to “near the great hill.”
New Hampshire: Named by Captain John Mason after his home county of Hampshire in England.
New York: Seized from the Dutch and renamed by the English in 1664 to honor James, the Duke of York (later King James II).
Maryland: Named after Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I.
Connecticut: Derived from the indigenous word Quinnehtukqut, which roughly translates to “beside the long tidal river.”
Rhode Island: Originally called “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” The island portion was named by explorers for its resemblance to the Isle of Rhodes in the Mediterranean.
Delaware: Named after the Delaware River, which was named in honor of Sir Thomas West, Lord De La Warr (the first governor of the Virginia colony).
North & South Carolina: Both originally called “Carolina,” the region was named in 1629 by King Charles I in honor of himself. The Latin translation of Charles is Carolus.
New Jersey: Named after the Isle of Jersey, an island in the English Channel.
Pennsylvania: Granted to William Penn in 1681, King Charles II combined his last name with the Latin word sylvania, meaning “woods,” to create “Penn’s Woods.”
Georgia: Established in 1732, the colony was named in honor of King George II of Great Britain.
How Did the US Go From 13 Colonies to 50 States?
The United States expanded from 13 colonies to 50 states through a mix of warfare, treaties, purchases, and annexations before finalizing the expansion in 1959. [1, 2]
1. The Early Republic and Westward Movement
The original borders stretched to the Mississippi River after the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established the process for federally controlled territories to draft constitutions and join the Union as equal states, starting with Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792), and Tennessee (1796). [1, 2, 3, 4]
2. Major Land Acquisitions
- The Louisiana Purchase (1803): The U.S. bought this vast territory from France for roughly $15 million, doubling the country’s physical size. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Florida (1819): Acquired from Spain through the Adams-Onís Treaty following military conflicts and diplomatic negotiations. [1, 2]
- Texas Annexation (1845): Texas joined the United States as a state after winning independence from Mexico. [1, 2]
- The Oregon Territory (1846): A treaty with Great Britain established the U.S.–Canadian border at the 49th parallel, solidifying control over the Pacific Northwest. [1, 2, 3]
- Mexican Cession (1848): Following the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgogranted the U.S. vast lands that became California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
3. Fulfilling the Continental U.S.
As the western territories attracted more settlers, they met population requirements and were admitted as states, stretching from coast to coast. The continental expansion was mostly rounded out by the Gadsden Purchase (1853), a strip of land bought from Mexico to accommodate a southern railroad route. [1, 2, 3]
4. Non-Contiguous Expansion
The last two states to join the union were far from the original 13 colonies:
Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867.
Hawaii was annexed in 1898.
Both were admitted as official states in 1959. [1, 2]
Is the US a Republic or a Democracy?
The United States is both a democracy and a republic. Specifically, it is a constitutional federal representative democracy. [1, 2]
It is a republic because the government’s ultimate power is held by the citizens, who elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on their behalf, rather than voting on every issue directly.
It is a democracy because it operates on the principle of popular sovereignty, where the government’s legitimacy comes from “we the people” through regular, fair, and competitive elections.
Is the Republic and Democracy Still Viable as We Celebrate Our 250th Birthday?
The republic is in danger because the elected representatives have ceded power to the executive branch over the years, and now have given so much power to the current administration that we are hard pressed to say that the people are still represented by Congress – no matter which side of the partisan divide you are on.
The democracy is in danger because “popular sovereignty” is threatened by no longer being guaranteed “fair and competitive” elections. From gerrymandering, to taking away access to voting, to continuous claims that the election was stolen in 2020, our freedoms and way of governing are under attack.
We have been so used to the many freedoms we have had and have for 250 years that we have taken for granted the laws, instutions, offices and norms that have kept this amazing freedom in place. Now is the time to really understand the freedoms we have and have had in America and why. Thanking God for what we have had, continuing to proclaim that all people are created equal, which is self-evident, and that “they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” needs to continue to be our driving force in elections and practices, and everyday life.
Thankfulness, petition to God, voting, and supporting the structure we have long criticized – and have the right to do so – are all we have. It has been enough to keep our freedom. Will it continue to be enough?
Happy Birthday, America!
May we have many more.
