APU Celebrates the Fourth of July

July 03, 2003 | Written By Sean Fitzpatrick '04

"The [fourth] day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commended as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore."

- John Adams in a letter to his wife, July 1776

At the time that John Adams, second president of the United States, said this, the American colonies had already seen a disastrous year of war that cost innumerable lives. In desperation, the Continental Congress met to approve a document that would express grievances to King George III, and declare the United States of America as a its own sovereign nation. Thomas Jefferson drafted the original document known as the Declaration of Independence. This declaration against the king was ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the day we celebrate our independence. However, the struggle for America's independence raged on until General Cornwallis surrendered the king's army at Yorktown on October 19, 1781.

This year, APU proudly celebrated America's independence. Offices across campus decorated for the occasion in red, white, and blue. APU employees from Administration West held a barbecue. On the fourth, the Residence Life staff at University Park will host a barbecue for the summer housing students. APU faculty, students, and staff will also be able to view the fireworks display held at Citrus College on the evening of the fourth.

Perhaps Patrick Henry sums it up best in his famous speech to the Virginia House of Delegates: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death."