“All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. These are grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.”
Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Roger C. Weightman — June 24, 1826
An ailing Jefferson sent these words in response to an invitation to Washington, D.C., to celebrate 50 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As fate would have it, the founding father died just days later — on July 4. No doubt if he had been in attendance, he would have seen fireworks as part of all the pomp and circumstance, which had become custom since the first U.S. birthday party, thrown in 1777…