What's she gonna do? Brother? When Jeff Townsend media runs wild on you? America Stories. Alright, alright, alright, welcome to America Stories. I'm Jeff Townsend joining me as professor Luke fod Bar. Is that what we determined before? Yeah? Blue Moon, he's like his teacher's assistant. Also something hot tub? Also yes, Yes, in our previous practice recording sessions which you may or may not hear one day, you will get you experience. Jack podcasting from a hot tub would be a great no comment on that check, It would be a great last last episode Jack from the hot tub. Yeah. Five chat. Yeah, it sounds completely different tonight. So this is exciting. We had a practice, we had to go through some technical difficulties, but yeah, welcome to America Stories, where we teach you some short historical America lessons and a fun manner. We're gonna leave it to Luke to make sure it's actually fun. I'm usually much for dark and tragic and fun, but this is a much lighter hearted topic though. Well, that's good. So this is gonna be the first episode release and it's going to be fourth of July week, so you've matched up something to relate to that. Yeah, well, we're gonna talk about the the origins of how you know, it was a holiday, and then some of the story you know, with how it first started and well obviously you obviously know how first it was the signing a declaration of independence, but then you know how has um, you know, celebrating it occurred over the years and stuff like that. H So, you know, the one of the biggest things is, h the whole day wasn't supposed to be July fourth to start with the sighting that really yeah, they well, so they voted on the independence on July second, and John Adams said, this will be the day that people will celebrate for hundreds of years. There will be bonfires across the nation on July second every year, and people will be celebrating the streets. He yeah, he didn't think that they were going to decide on July fourth, because that was the day that a lot of them showed up to you know, sign it. Uh, but that's what they do. Is it like the day of the week that it happened to be or something? I wonder what, um, you know, I don't know the exact day of the week. I'm sure Wait, Revere to deliver the message, you know. But yeah, beyond that, there was actually some debate on how many of them actually signed on July fourth, but they just thought it sounded like a good good day because a lot of them didn't sign until August second. So yeah, like damn good day. Yeah. They were just like this is like the selling point day, you know. And uh so yeah, the first July fourth, you know, the big first celebration, It shall be the July fourth. Yeah. Uh. In seventeen seventy six, they pretty much everyone across the country celebrated by burning effigies of the king. That was that was their fireworks. Yeah, they had well they call them like mock uh yeah, they had like mock funerals for King George and uh yeah they had like no yea burning of effigies or uh lighting he really was anything that was like with the British in the uh in the king they would like burn his portraits or or or the British flag and uh yeah, they celebrate it with like picnics and uh speeches as the early fourth of July Independence Days celebrations. Yeah, and then you know, from there, the very next year was the first year to have fireworks in seventy seventy seven as part of the celebration, and they decided they were going to do that from then on. Uh, and then you know, the war progressed. Uh, it went on for eight years. People don't realize that that war didn't end in seventeen seventy six or seventy seventy seven. It was until eighty three. Could they even like how long do you think he even took them to find out like not to fight? I mean, yeah, Like it was incredible because this is this war is where they like it's the same as civil but they walked everywhere. I mean it's not like, yeah, you could call somebody and be like the war is over right, Yeah, she just took a while to travel across the whole content that when when they actually finally did you know, sign the surrender, It probably took a couple of days for all the fighting to stop and uh, and then you would then like you know, some people were probably you know, I'm not gonna stop fighting ever, but you know, it did eventually end. Uh. And after the war, you got progressively bigger, the celebrations did because there wasn't so much rationing there wasn't you know, all this worry that we're gonna lose. So yeah, their celebrations were considerably bigger. Uh. It wasn't until the War of eighteen twelve though, after that that it became like this huge celebration for the country and that's when people are taking days off work and stuff like that. But it wasn't actually a federal holiday where people were paid off I think until I would say nineteen thirty two, like when federal workers were allowed to be off. It was nineteen thirty two nineteen thirty six, so one of those two days. I get some of these dates mixed up, but yeah, it was, interestingly enough, just kind of like a observed holiday until then. What do you think those uh what do you think those first fireworks were like? So that's actually something they kind of described them as basically what they would use for artillery, you know, like cannons and rocket tree but without the full payload. They were essentially just uh they were essentially just bombs, but they didn't they didn't kill. They were designed to just be like just it bam, it's over. And then because the fireworks have been around at this point I think since two hundred BC. A lot of selibratory fireworks were also kind of just made with like gunpowder, you know, like like he's like, like Luke said, it was like cannon shot, but it was like just kind of lit on fire and kind of either put in a tube in some some places as well, would actually kind of like drill it out of out of stone and put the gunpowder into that and then like a trail fire up to it, so it would kind of like the shoot out like a burst of flame almost and a loud sound. Yeah, those are a thing that it's pretty big in the UK, uh back way back then, and it was there called stone cannons, and yeah, they were just basically a primitive firework and it was just drilled into the rock like he was said. So, you know, typically probably the fireworks that would would have been used in the US would have been probably a similar idea, but made with items we have here. I don't know how many stone cannons were made in the US, but they know the fireworks that they use were probably similar as far as just like gunpowder packed into some kind of tube. Yeah. Actually, in seventeen seventy seven they specifically mentioned that they launched fireworks out of thirteen cannons in the harbor to symbolize the thirteen colonies. Really, other kind of interesting thing involves that three different US presidents all passed away on July fourth, and then they were all months of funding family fathers, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on the fiftieth anniversary of the of the Union, and on the same day, same day, both on July fourth, the fiftieth July fourth. That just natural causes, basically, yeah, the same day. Jomas Jefferson technically died a few minutes before roughly you know what they can gather h And at the time John Addams obviously didn't know they were weren't exactly on the best of terms. They had begun to mend a relationship they had frayed during the elections, and um, John Adams, as he was about ready to die, he knew he was dying. He said, at least Thomas is alive, And that was one of the last things he said. Wow, But he wasn't. Yeah, he had he had passed away. But a few years later, five years later, on the fifty fifth anniversary, James Monroe, who was another founding father and one of the presidents had passed away on Fort July as well. Wow. Yeah, so this is a that's just crazy odds out of all the days in the year. Just think about that. Yeah, I just had to look at an immediate connection with that day and then also passing away on a day. It's a really interesting thing. Uh. And to survive as long as they did back then, you know, fifty years after they signed. I don't know how old they were, but they were had to be in there, you know, seven flea bites back then. I mean, you get cold and during the early as far back as the original Afford July, barbecues have always been a part of the whole uh celebration. That's what I was going to say was that the uh, you know, the modern day celebration is still very similar to it was when it was first celebrated, which I think is kind of interesting. Uh yeah, like barbecue's, picnics and uh explosions, you know this guy and uh, I think that that's uh yeah, it's interesting that you think about, like like what we do every every Fourth July. Um, it's just probably just been passed down from you know, from generation generation of what withy as always uh, yeah, what we what we do with the modern day. It's a little bit more extravagant with the fireworks probably, but that we also burned fewer pictures of King George. So there's there's some similarities with some differences. Yeah, we've been through some crazy Fourth of July is together and I'm not gonna lie, I never once thought of King George, but moving forward, you know I might. I mean yeah, I just just yeah, kind of tempted, right for ant of a picture just in case who knows where the knight and he was happy just not to have to spend any more money on the war and deal with us. That is actually a thing, you know, once it was over, the British people, the normal British people, they really care like it was you know, like okay, one fraction of our empires, no are part of us or whatever. Yeah, they still thought they were come back later, which they yeah, they did in eighteen twelve to try to take us back over. But uh, you know they still were kind of like the rank and file British person was like, well, at least we don't have to pay for that country anymore. Yeah, we were pretty costly between overseas colonies. Can you imagine that? Okay, so let me just cut you off here. To come fight here, you had to take a ship, which would take a monumental amount of time, and so many people would die on the way here. Yeah. Yeah, it's not exactly like the best living conditions and disease spreads and oh you see that clear through World War One especially, But anyways, the community here is just so long and dreadful. I can't even imagine, let alone the cost. This is actually kind of breaks up something you mentioned about, you know, people dieing on the ships and stuff during this time. This is technically war revolutionary war tribute, but a large portion of people who died in the war were just people who died in being held in captivity on ships prisoners of war. The vast supermajority of soldiers that died died that way, and it was from disease off the coast, didn't they like in ships? Yeah yeah, yeah, like like they're holding uh this is the British, right, We're holding Americans off the Boston Harbor whatever, New York. I don't know, in these ships that you're talking about. Yeah, and they just died from diseases in there. Uh, you know, and because like you know, they would empty their bed pans right off into the water, right and they didn't really that stuff didn't flow too well. And you would get your drinking water by lowering bucket down off the side of the ship and bring it back up, and you're supposed to boil it for a little bit, but they wouldn't let you boil a very long, so a lot of their waste would end up in their drinking water. And then they would also cook in that water. And they would usually give them a piece of pork on a string and you're supposed to throw it into the pot and boil it, and they would tell you when to pull it out, and it could be well underdone, and you were being well underdone pork from water that was had you know, waste in it. And that's just why they would die off in there. So these barbecues, what were they barbecuing? Speaking of disease? What kind of disease are they brew it? After these barbecues. Pork was always a major part of Southern barbecues, and specifically pulled pork, and that was because most people didn't have great teeth, and so they would prefer a meal that was easy to eat, and a big to deal with politicians at the time was they would throw big pork barbecues. We have a couple of whole hogs roasted and they would use that to feed a large number of constituents. And so early barbecues were almost entirely pork based. Also, cows were expensive, you know, they didn't have a ton of land in original thirteen colonies to raise vast herds, so they were morally used for milk and other work in the farm. Pigs were raised for slaughter back then, mostly entirely. So that was like the bulk chickens too, but people like to keep their chickens around for the eggs. That was a big deal with the food back then, as you had the continual source of food. Yeah, and the pigs would grow pretty quickly, so they were raised quickly. And then have you had a large pig just to slaughter and have for like a a large cookout or store your meat for you know, over the winter, and all pretty much all early barbecue was was developed and ran by these large plantation slaveholders that they would they would have their their slaves make most of the food and so uh barbecue is is based entirely in that culture. It is a very much a part of their way of life. They knew how to prepare meats so that everyone could eat it and that it would feed like families and pomp families. And that was where a lot of you know, slave families excelled was their ability to cook barbecue. And this it's quite an interesting story in it of a self. It's learning the history. It's a pass down knowledge of barbecue and how that later and long translated to a lot of these barbecue shops being opened in the South by descendants of slaves. What about a summer sausage. You think there's any summer sausage you want to Well, I couldn't. You didn't have to refrigerate it. I could definite for some summer sauce. There was definitely a lot of stuff similar to that actually, because they long hunters would go out and they would get meats that they needed to cure, and summer sausage is kind of a bacteria cured sausage, and so a lot of that was actually done back then to preserve meats that they would then serve. It's barbecues as well. So so when they start talking like fireworks and stuff like that. Was this like a big public event or this is an event for the elite or was this actually something where they let anybody come watch that This was for everyone. Yeah, everyone would come to like the town squares and see this happen, because this was, you know, quite the thing to happen, you know, people declare an independence from Britain. That was say, and so everyone was there to celebrate and that was a big deal for like the politicians at the time. They wanted to make sure that you know, no one was being left out because this was supposed to be everyone united against the British. So yeah, it was definitely a for the people event. It was also it was this kind of like a message that they wanted to get across was that everyone should start a bonfire in their own backyards kind of like signals some kind of solidarity with this declaration of independence that it's so it's like how like individual household bonfire possibly like a fireworks, having your own picnic kind of like celebration was like the way of saying we support this and we want to you know, commit to this, uh, you know movement. What would John Brown be thinking man, I don't know, well he would uh probably be like, well, we need to kill these guys some more. I don't know. It was crazy, Yeah, you would want to kill these British bad It's like a bad insight joke from our first recording when we talked about Crazy John John Brown episode Crazy. I mean one of these days John Brown absent. So there was a note that Thomas Jefferson wrote a few days before he died. Uh, he didn't know, well, he knew he was you know, he was older, and but he knew that he was, you know, probably gonna pass. So he wrote a letter to be read in DC at the fiftieth anniversary. The letter is actually kind of interesting. I do have it and I would like to want to read it off here. He says, May it be to the world what I believe it will be, the signal of arousing men to burst the chains and to assume the blessings and security of self government. That which we have substituted restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened or opening to the rights of man for ourselves. Let the annual return of this day forever refresh our, recollection, recollections of those rights and undiminished devotation to them. He definitely understood the importance this holiday had to keep the union together, that it was something that had to be celebrated in order to keep everyone one united. Yeah, And I would also say that the celebration of Independence Day every year is also like a reminder, right, like we we know that we this is important that the nation that we have this kind of like well, what was Lincoln called it a great experiment, right, the American country was a great experiment of talking about like freedom. But we know that, I think because every year we remind ourselves and we have this holiday that this is like, hey, we all have to kind of remind. Even if you don't continually remind yourself of that, um, you're going to forget it. And so that's why I think it's it's always important to you know, celebrate on on the fourth. Even if you don't blow something up, you can at least you know, have have a cook out and and just kind of like take a step back and realize how big this day is. How do we like, I feel like the further we go on from it here, how do we like keep that alive there, like through our children, the next generation. Like that it's not just a day of fireworks, blow and shut up, right. I think that it's important to remember that there needs to be some amount of solemnity and respect given to it. Like it's it's a variety of things, right. The holiday means a lot of stuff. It means this was the day that a group of people decided to premit high treason and sign you know, documentation saying we are going to give up everything we have in order to preserve the rights of man. And a lot of them didn't want to sign it. I mean they did not because what you just said, these were rich people. These were people who had everything to lose. They were not like your blue collar workers. These were people who had holdings that rivaled you know, many rich bell princes. These were people who had everything to lose, very little to gang. They decided we will risk at all. I think people need to remember that, they remember that people were willing to die and lose everything to bring freedom. I also think that you know, to continue that is to you know, I have to like you know, pass it on to the next generations to kind of also think about that you know, traditions can kind of include the new uh new activities. I guess you could say, because you know, not everyone is going to or you know, light off fireworks, but it also wasn't the main activity from to begin with. It was actually originally just kind of like bonfires. So you know, I think everyone's pretty much comfortable to have a little bonfire and sitting down talking. So you know, even if not everyone lights off, I love lighting on fireworks without everyone does, so having you know, just simple traditions of of you just a picnic or a barbecue or a meal feast even uh, and bonfire is equally symbolic. So there's there's there's plenty different ways to celebrate before July, so that would be definitely one of ways you can continue the tradition even with people who maybe don't do the exact same thing. Uh, it's still still continuing the holiday. Now. I do agree with you. I think that there's opportunities and people just need to be creative and you, yeah, I think it's it's just like Christmas, right, I don't lose the side of what's really important with it. This was a really cool little lesson here. Do you have anything else to add to it or no, just to be you know, if you are so brighton the holiday, be safe, have fun with your family and you know, just have fun. Oh and maybe maybe burn a picture of King George. I don't know, I think. Oh, but we'll say one thing. The way you guys celebrate it is very John Brown, like, can't I've been there. They're in this event and it can be very extravagant. I would say it's probably your guys or used to be your guys favorite holiday. Yeah, it's one of the top three for us. Um, Christmas is really big Christmas. Yeah, it's close, but used to be a huge thing. Yeah, it was definitely. Uh we've met a little bit in our old age, but we also had it. We had another one at my house and we'd be lightened off in the middle of town and everybody's kidding. Yeah, yeah there, And I will say time to getting all the dogs. A lot of the neighbor kids. I carrying on that tradition for sure. We'll ask you some packing firecrackers. My heart just fills with joy. Yeah yeah, let alone bottle rockets. Man, those things would really fly. You know what the most dangerous part or some of the mortars and stuff. Some of the things that come off of the fireworks, those could just be oh yeah, getting nailed in the head, but a piece of wood or something. You have seen that as well, yea, yea yeah. So yeah, these these are two guys that really do like this holiday. So wouldn't we want to win? Luke's telling you this story. He uh, he's passionate about it. I'll vouch for that. Yeah, I mean, I yeah, it's a very interesting story and there's a lot of interesting you know, facts about and uh. I enjoyed talking about him. If you're listening, you know, let us know what you think. If you're going to participate in any explosions of any King George memorabilia, Um, yeah, I don't encourage anything else, maybe more specific, because that could be very hateful. It's just days. I guess we should be specifical about gets King George that right second second, got Jack said, all, well, guys, man, thanks for sharing this amazing an America story with us. I feel more American, I said the A and I just left it out. There's no read. You can make it faster word, make it faster words American. It's the plenty more stories to talk about too. It's the various wars, but there's also things such as the you know, the trans Continental Railroad that was built and now there's a lot of different stories that are really interesting about America. Yep. And once again Jack looks like Ulysses Gray. Yeah, yeah, he does. We'll get to that one day. And we're having the show Notes had of reach out to us. We're still putting this all together. We do want to put episodes out. We decided on white every two weeks. Yeah, so that's what we'll work on. This will be episode number one, fourth of July. Let us know what you think. I'm a social media podcast father on everything. These two guys really aren't. Yeah, I may hand them the keys to the America Stories Twitter account rebranded from Indiana Stories, So yeah, you guys could be deadly. Get your John brown on on that note, we will get our John Browns on and get the hell out of it. Well he actually never get the hell out of here, he just gets but he did. I'm going to do the exact opposite of that. I'm gonna lead us out of here. Guys. What do you say? Sounds good? So everybody listening until next time, keep being you and keep being great. Everybody like you road did you do? It's wrong. People got to think for the dangerous that it inside best to us take it what they wrong. Like I said to someone must do the best weekend. Someone must do the best weekend. Jeff Townsend, Media sees you good night. And the question is do I stay here? Will you be back? Are you gonna come back? Will you be back? Are you coming back?
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