July 4, 1975, the Picayune Civic Women’s Club sponsored a city-wide celebration at what is now known as Friendship Park. I was invited to speak at the event as a representative of the Picayune City Council, and was asked to speak on  America.  I accepted the invitation, and was told that the subject content was my choice.

Looking through a scrap book several months ago, I ran across the speech made then.

I pulled it because of an amazing correlation between America’s problems that I cited 40 years ago, compared to America’s problems today, 40 years later.  I thought, perhaps, it would be interesting to share with you after the celebrations of America’s 239th birthday, July 4, 2015.

I believe  it is beneficial to remind ourselves of the miraculous birth and beginning of our magnificent country, as well as, to consider the fact that with its blessings and prosperity, America has left its first love.

Here are my remarks made July 4, 1975:

This morning I drove down Goodyear Boulevard and back to view the magnificent display of the United States of America flags.  It is the most heart-warming and thrilling sight within our little city, on this, the 199th birthday of this great country.  To be nestled in the cradle of America, truly, is one of God’s choicest blessings to Picayune, Mississippi.

For the next few minutes, I wish to focus your thoughts on the United States of America: its beginning, its role as a world power, some of its most pressing problems and the idea that these problems can be turned into opportunities to make her a sound nation for our posterity.

On behalf of the Virginia delegation, Mr. Richard Henry Lee submitted a resolution to the Continental Congress on June 7, 1776, to break all ties with Great Britain.

The Congress voted on June 10 to appoint a committee to prepare the declaration to affect such action. The following day Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston were appointed to the committee, and on June 28, 1776, they submitted a draft of the declaration to Congress.  After minor modifications, Congress agreed to a document on July 4, 1776, that became known as the “Declaration of  Independence.”

Its purpose was to proclaim to the world the reasons for declaring independence.

Those reasons, along with a profound belief in individual liberty, and an abiding faith in Almighty God, served as a catalyst in founding the greatest hope ever conceived in the mind of man.  For a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, truly, is the most noble gesture ever made by mortal man to recognize that all men stand on common ground when dealing with each other, or when coming before the creator.

The framers of the Declaration of Independence were guided by the doctrine that man should control his own destiny, and that the majority rule by counting heads, rather than by cracking heads.

We will continue this with the next several columns.

Take heed of 2 Chronicles 7:14.

 

By Aaron Russell