Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Thomas Jefferson went through many rewrites and critiques on his Declaration of Independence. Writers - take heart. Even brilliance has its critics. But today, July 4th, we celebrate his words and the many iterations of the United States of America. We are still dreamers and "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."

I enjoyed reading some quotes printed in the WSJ (6/26/10 p.W2) by our Founding Fathers.

Alexander Hamilton on Thomas Jefferson, "He is not scrupulous about the means of success, nor very mindful of truth, and ... he is a contemptible hypocrite."

John Adams on Alexander Hamilton, "The bastard brat of a Scotch pedlar."

Hamilton on Adams,"The man is more mad than I ever thought him, and I shall soon be led to say as wicked as he is mad."

Ben Franklin on John Adams,"He means well for his country, is always an honest man, often a wise one, but sometimes, and in some things, absolutely out of his senses."

Adams on Franklin," His whole life has been one continuous insult to good manners and to decency."

Thank goodness for those men and so many others through the years - for freedom of speech and opinion, for being hot and cranky in Philadelphia, and for cranking out the backbone writings of American history.

Happy 234th Independence Day!

(Note - Statue of Liberty picture taken by me late August 2001. We returned home from a NY trip on 9/1/01)

Post 4th Fizzle or Sizzle

Fugitives from the law - Ray lit my killer bees fireworks and we had a little mini-display without setting ourselves on fire. We did enjoy the City of Bedford's display from our front yard - could see the show zoom into the sky from the Boy's Ranch. Thumbs up on the ooh! and aah! factor.

The week after July 4, 1776 must have been a huge letdown for the major players as they clopped on horseback back to the farm or awaited reviews in the local press. Sweating under powdered wigs and smiling for the local citizens who questioned ones wisdom and words must have been a drag. What would our Revolutionary heroes make of today’s interactive, instant news world? Would the Declaration of Independence have been written and signed or would it have been tweaked with blog leaks and twittered commentary?

I think Ben Franklin’s Facebook page would have been incredibly popular and he’d have been reprimanded dearly for keeping his cell phone on ring. Thomas Jefferson’s blog would have a lot of folks bragging that they read it, but none that could understand his esoteric treatise on democracy and freedom. George Washington’s huge fan base would have everyone in Philly tweeting about his whereabouts. Finally, there’s poor John Adams - nary a comment or friend. (Abigail, on the other hand…)


Social networking certainly has its place, but when it comes to great writing and deep thinking, it is best to turn to solitude. Whether by the glow of the computer screen, or the flicker of candlelight, writers should contemplate quiet and history, dig deep, and then let the words click, the ink flow. Oh, the pen is mighty. Yes, create your platform and your outlets, but make sure your words live up to the hype. This was true in 1776 and now in today’s 2009 world.

Enjoy July and make it sizzle, not fizzle

Joanne