Horseflies on the Fourth of July

   THE FOURTH OF JULY has become one of America's most celebrated holidays. Family barbecues, homemade ice cream, and fireworks consume the nation, as its citizens pay tribute to what they consider to be the birthday of the United States. It is a grand show of patriotism, but there is one small problem. Nothing very important happened on July 4th, 1776, except that the delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia had to cut their work short because of a horde of giant horseflies that invaded Independence Hall.
   The first official move toward independence from Great Britain came on July 7, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee of Virginia petitioned the Second Continental Congress to make a clean break from the mother country. Nearly all of the delegates leaned toward Lee's clarion call, but few had the fortitude to take the final step that would turn the colonies into "free and independent states." They preferred to ponder the problem for awhile, so they tabled Lee's motion.
   The delegates did indeed ponder the problem, but not for long. In less than a month, they experienced a remarkable change in attitude. Recent actions by the British put reconciliation beyond reach. By July 2, 1776, the colonists were ready for action, and Lee's motion for a declaration of independence was brought back for a vote. It passed unanimously, and Thomas Jefferson, with four other delegates, accepted the assignment to prepare the wording of the document that recorded the act of Congress.
   That night John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, "The Second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the Great Anniversary Celebration."
   So just what did happen on July 4th, 1776? Actually the Congress met that day for a single item of business. They gathered to simply approve the wording of the document which had been drawn up by Jefferson and his colleagues.
   As the meeting was called to order, the July temperature began to rise quickly. The sergeant at arms opened the windows to allow any hint of a breeze to flow across the room. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, a slight puff of wind brought with it an invasion of giant horseflies from a nearby stable. The assembled delegates, who had been arguing over trivial points in Jefferson's wording, were suddenly swatting horseflies.
   After a few minutes of battle, the insects prompted one tormented delegate to move to accept the document as it then stood. The motion was seconded and passed, as the delegates fled the building and the horseflies.
   Therefore, the notion that July 4th, 1776, is Independence Day clearly misses the mark. The vote on independence had been taken two days earlier, and the document itself wasn't signed until August 2, 1776.
   What Americans should be celebrating on July 4th is National Horsefly Day, for it was those pesky insects that cut short the debate on the wording of Jefferson's document and preserved its dignity for future generations.