All the recent “pomp” about July 4th motivated me to go back to historical articles and online sites devoted to the events leading up to the congressional approval of our Declaration of Independence and its eventual signing and publication. However, the more I read the more “confused” I became about who signed what when, and whether or not John Hancock said what some historians claim he said when he did sign it.

My last blog (Friday) started to express my concern about the accuracy of what had been previously reported about events leading up to the adoption of the Declaration in Congress by twelve of the thirteen delegations in Philadelphia on July 4th. One source claimed that John Hancock signed the document on this date in 1776. Another source, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signing_the_United_States_Declaration_of_Independence),
states that “In 1796, signer Jeremy MacLellan disputed that the Declaration had been signed on July 4, pointing out that some signers were not then present, including several who were not even elected to Congress until after that date. No person signed it on that day nor for many days after, he wrote later.”

Readers who are interested in having their memories refreshed about the steps leading up to the approval and signing of our Declaration of Independence are encouraged to check out the above site, plus others: http://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/the-story-of-john-hancocks-signature-2505538.html, http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/hancock.htm, and
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_history.html

I believe it is safe to say, that on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell rings signaling the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by Congress.

P.S. Don’t go away, we’re not done researching the story behind this most significant event in the creation of the United States of America.