Don Wildman

Bye for now.

The morning of July 8th, 1776 was bright and still in Philadelphia.

Bells began to ring, beckoning across the town, a call to gather.

In time, a large crowd collected in the yard of the Pennsylvania State House, today called Independence Hall.

A local official stepped forward, holding in his hands a document, a copy of the Declaration of Independence of the new United States of America.

He read it aloud, his voice carrying across the yard.

Those assembled leaned forward, listening closer, as he recited the lines, asserting,

but the colonies now claimed a separate and equal station, listing their long set of grievances against the crown, and finally declaring their independence.

When the reading ended, the gathered erupted in cheers and huzzahs all across the city as word spread.

Bells rang out again, not an alarm, but celebration.

Later on that day, the royal coat of arms, the symbol of the king's authority over the colonies, was reportedly torn down, removed from the statehouse, and destroyed in a public bonfire.

No longer were these people subjects of the British crown.

They were citizens of a new nation.

Now, once and forever, Americans.

This is American History Hit.

To our faithful listeners, one and all, welcome back.

If this is your first time, glad you found us.

I'm Don Wildman, here to talk about American history.

In July 1776, a group of statesmen gathered in a sweltering room in Philadelphia to commit an unthinkable act.

Challenging one of the most powerful empires in the history of the world, they signed their names to a document that could cost them everything.