Happy Independence!!

This Independence day celebrates the 233rd birthday of the United States of America.  Founded July 4th, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Here in the U.S., this annual holiday commemorates the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories.

At the time of the signing the United States consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III.  There was a growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England.  This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on.  As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion.  In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress.  The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.

In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts, the battle of Concord would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for Independence.

June 1776 a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence headed by Thomas Jefferson.  The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman.  Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28th.  A vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th.  Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained.  To make it official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence.

  "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.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Excerpt of the Declaration of Independence.

The first observance of this holiday was held on July 8th, 1776, the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square.  Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds, while bands played, people celebrating with candles which they lit and placed in their windows, and pealing church bells.  Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung.  The "Province Bell" which would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after it's inscription - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof."  

The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year on July 4, 1777, and by the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday.  The actual legal holiday was declared in 1941.

In 1859 the Banneker Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania urged African-Americans to celebrate Independence Day while bearing witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slavery.  Banneker's orator  of the day, M. Jacob C. White, Jr., also promised his audience a brighter future.

We have learned by experience and by the comparison of ourselves with people similarly situated, to hope that, at some day not very far in futurity, our grievances will be redressed, that our long lost rights will be restored to us, and that, in the full stature of men, we will stand up, and with our once cruel opponents and oppressors rejoice in the Declaration of our common country, and hail with them the approach of the glorious natal day of the Great Republic.

Mr. Jacob C. White Jr., Introductory Remarks

Throughout the years the 4th of July celebration tradition continued, and it was/is customarily celebrated publicly with parades and pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and cannons and displays of fireworks.  However, in the 20th century public concern for a "safe and sane" holiday resulted in restrictions on general use of fireworks.  Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of July celebrations.  Today the most popular way to celebrate Independence Day is to get together with family and friends, have a "cook out" and attend a fireworks display.

To see and read the Declaration of Independence please CLICK HERE or the picture on the left!

As we stated a year ago, "we know Independence means many different things to so many of you, but the overall meaning is freedom, freedom from persecution, from hunger, oppression, even financial freedom and most importantly freedom from within (freedom of negative thoughts, and freedom from hatred and intolerance).  For us the most important thing we are seeking is financial freedom and we are thrilled because we are well on our way to accomplishing this goal.

We say to many of you please continue trying to attain the freedom of whatever you are seeking to be rid of, or accomplish!"

We at Arious wish you our on-line family (those who were born in the US and to the many who have made the US your home) the best 4th of July...actually a very happy Independence day holiday!!!!!

HAPPY   BIRTHDAY   SHANA!

 Gosh, many of us are still shocked and saddened by the sudden loss of this remarkable, talented and brilliant man and legend - Mr. Michael Jackson.  It's awful losing such a superb individual.  Our friends and family who were close with Michael are extremely devastated by this loss, and it's difficult expressing their feelings.  Stay tuned, once everything settles down we will prepare a tribute to Mr. Jackson, and we will share with you our experiences, thoughts and feelings. 

    DC Caribbean Carnival has come and gone, and we had a fantastic time.  Indeed it was electrifying and definitely full of fun.  

We participated in the 3 mile Parade, and was afforded the opportunity to expose our business to thousands, especially the new Caribbean Social network www.mycaribbean.us.  As you can imagine, we are very pleased with the exposure, and was thrilled to meet so many people who are members of www.mycaribbean.us, and who are a part of our on-line family.  Actually, we would like to thank the many who took the time to hail us out at all the festivities.

The entire weekend overall was hectic, due to the running from parties to parties, and every event we were committed to attend did excellent.  The Carnival Friday Night fete "Flags Till Morning" was great - the venue, the attendance and the overall event itself was wonderful.  The Saturday night event "Soca In Motion" - Bunji Garlin's birthday bash was incredible (the performances, the venue, and the massive amounts of people).   By Sunday we were all partied out, so we chilled; but from all the reports we received "Shine DC2" was good.

We would like to say thanks and express our appreciation to the promoters of these events for the love and respect we received over this weekend.  It was certainly a pleasure working with them: (1) Indigo Concepts, Sekouflex Entertainement and Superslice, and (2) Pumpstation Entertainment, East Coast Caribbean Events and IP Music.

We were able to capture some photos on Saturday during the parade and we have included them below for you to view.  We still have several more photos of the Carnival committee's event in the park on Carnival Sunday that featured Alison Hinds, and soon as we upload them we will share them with you.  Additionally, a friend captured hundreds of photos and once we receive them we will share them with you.  We hope you enjoy the photos.

In closing we would like to congratulate Jackie and Associates on his fantastic mas band that won in several carnival categories, and to Shortmus Productions on their winnings.  We would also like to congratulate Roots and Culture promotions.  Working with these mas bands were wonderful.  Finally, we would like to say thanks to the Carnival Committee, and congratulate them on a nice event..

 
Find more photos like this on My Caribbean

FEATURED EVENTS

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Friday, July 10-12, 2009

July 10-12, 2009

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July 25, 2009

Join Arious Entertainment and My Caribbean for The Miami-Broward Carnival "After Carnival Cruise".  A 4-Night Western Caribbean Cruise Starting at $169.00/per double occupancy (a substantial savings of up to 80% off the brochure price of $849.00).  

Departing Miami on October 12, 2009, and making stops in (1) Key West: for us to explore the beautiful island, and to get a taste of its signature dessert-the Key Lime Pie; and (2) Cozumel Mexico for us to discover the ancient Maya ruins, as well as to play on the white sand beaches of Playa del Carmen on the mainland.  Finally we return to Miami on October 16, 2009. 

Please note while on the ship all meals are included (24 hours a day,) with lots of fun and exciting things to do while aboard including a casino, live shows, entertainment, games, dancing and lots more.

To learn all about this exciting cruise and to book your ticket now click on the picture below.  Once on the Cruise Travel Page, scroll down and select the October 12-16th Cruise to learn all the details.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER MYCARIBBEAN.US EXCITING TRAVEL CLUB TO LOG ON TO THE LINK TO LEARN ALL THE DETAILS AND TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS FOR THIS CRUISE  

YOU CAN ALSO CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO THIS FANTASTIC CRUISE DEAL!