July 4, 1776: We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident...
Photo of the row of American flags lining the entrance to Compo beach by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.
Story by The Committee of Five: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman.
As much as we love our fourth of July festivities; the Compo fireworks, partying on the beach, the picnics and barbecues, gathering with friends to celebrate the holiday, what is most important is just what history changing event occurred 250 years ago today.
Here is the text of the Declaration Of Independence:
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
A Reading of the Declaration by a group of what were "A List" celebrities of the day is well worth a view.
The dramatic reading of the Declaration, was produced in 2010 by Norman Lear and Rob Reiner at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and became part of a national tour that showcased an original 1776 Dunlap broadside. This was the first printed and published version of the Declaration of Independence. Printed overnight on July 4, 1776, by Philadelphia printer John Dunlap, it served as the original "breaking news" copy.
The 14-minute short film, which was directed by Arvin Brown and Frank Capra III with a score by John Williams, was frequently screened at museums and presidential libraries alongside the historic document.
A Reading Of The Declaration Of Independence
As Always, Truly Spectacular! Compo Fireworks Thrill Thousands
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Thanks to Westport PAL, the generosity of Melissa & Doug Bernstein and town staff and volunteers, Westport's biggest party of the year was a fantastic kickoff to summer fun in Westport.
Here are a few photos of the show. More pics of the display and the great audience photos will be available on Monday. Check back to see more!
A Devoted Mother Osprey Shelters Her Young From Blazing Sun
Screenshot from Milford Point Audubon Live Osprey Cam. Story by J.C. Martin
This dangerous heatwave continues to stress out people and animals alike. This mother Osprey at the Milford Point Audubon, Milford, CT is spreading her wings to shield her three juvenile offspring from the blazing sun, making herself hotter in the process. They are barely visible under her wings. Temps at 1:00 PM were already nearly 90º ambient temperature with the actual temps in the sun even higher.
We can safely assume Westport's Osprey families located at Terrain/Fresh Market, Longshore and near Sherwood Island will be doing the same thing.
According to the Dyfi Osprey Project extreme heat can be highly dangerous for baby ospreys. Because nests are high up and completely exposed to the elements, prolonged high temperatures (especially over 90°F–100°F) can lead to severe heat stress, lethargy, and dehydration.
Adult ospreys work incredibly hard to shield their young from direct sunlight and hot weather. They adapt by:
- Shading: Spreading their wings outward like an umbrella or awning to create a "shade wall" that covers the chicks.
- Cooling: Panting to release body heat through evaporative cooling, or taking dips in nearby water sources and returning with wet feathers to act as natural air conditioners.
- Fanning: Raising their body feathers to increase airflow.
You can view the Milford Point Live Osprey Cam24 hours a day and see these magnificent raptors up close.Her three chicks have grown quite a bit and will soon be ready to fledge, so make sure you see them while you can!
Presenting The Staples High School Class Of 2026!
Seniors take their last walk onto the football field as students. They will leave as graduates entering the next great phase of their lives.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Staples High School principal Stafford W. Thomas, Jr. leads VIP’s including town and school officials including Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice and First Selectman Kevin Christie onto the field.
As always, it was a very full house as excited parents shared in the joy of the moment with many parents no doubt remembering their own graduation ceremony and younger siblings possibly envisioning their own memorable moment to come.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The audience in the east side bleachers had to spend a bit of time shielding their eyes from the sun on a nearly cloudless evening.
Some parents made sure their pride and enthusiasm was noted by their child and others in the audience.
After “Pomp and Circumstance” was played, the National Anthem was sung by the Staples Orphenians followed by “The Road Home” performed by Sonora, Choralaires and all senior choir students.
Above, Lauren Pine, Director of Choral Activities at Staples High School since 2023 conducts the choir.
Following the welcome address by Principal Thomas were the Valedictory Address by Isabel Sungloo Jo, left and right and the Salutatory Address by Uma Roy Choudhury, center.
Staples faculty created imaginative mortarboards to celebrate the occasion.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Students are called row by row to the stage to receive their diplomas. Two friends give each other a celebratory “high five”. Some smiling students took advantage of the time for calling of the more than 400 names to get their snaps.
Several mortarboards were created to express the sentiments of the student and others displayed their college destination including one student happily about to become a member of Husky Nation at the University Of Connecticut.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The class of 2026 was filled with high achievers including 37 members of the National Honor Society and several who were proudly wearing their Seal of Biliteracy, a prestigious academic honor awarded to graduating high school students who demonstrate high proficiency in speaking, reading, listening, and writing in two or more languages—one of which is English.
Finally, the grads are called and make their way to the stage to receive the diploma they have worked so hard for 4 years to achieve from Principal Thomas and receive congratulations from Superintendent Scarice and administration officials.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
There were many high fives by students including Staples Girls Basketball stand-out Freya Harvey, above.
Diplomas firmly in hand, students proudly head over to have their official graduation photos taken against the Staples logo backdrop, indeed a time-consuming process which went off without a hitch.
At the conclusion of the ceremony and the moment arrives, Senior grads Kala Levine and Elijah Falkenstein announce the “Turning Of The Tassle”, a graduation tradition symbolizing the transition from a degree candidate to a graduate. Moving the tassel from the right side of the cap to the left represents closing one academic chapter and officially stepping into a new phase of life or professional career. Moving the tassel closer to the heart publicizes your hard-earned credentials and academic achievement.
The Final Seminal Moment - Caps In The Air!
The grads joyfully throw their caps into the air a classic celebratory tradition that symbolizes the end of a long academic journey and the transition into a new chapter of life!
The stands empty out as delighted parents seek to rendezvous with their children in the crowd on the field for hugs, kisses, photos, selfies and congratulations from friends and family.
The parents of “Molly”, below, were taking no chances on any delay in her finding her family in the crowd. They provided a giant poster wishing her “Gratulerer!”, which is congratulations in Norwegian.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Among the hundreds of happy families on this very special day in their lives is the family of Sam Clachko, Wreckers star basketball point guard who scored more than 1,000 points at Staples and will be playing for Division III school Connecticut college.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Lulu & Bianka share their joy in dramatic fashion when they find each other in the crowd.
Jennifer Alexandra Londono is one of four Staples Grads who have opted to serve their country in the United States Military. Jennifer will be joined by Finn Joseph Martens in serving in the US Navy. Rhodes Edison Redd will serve in the Marine Corps and joining the US Army is Alessio Zhy’mier Ramirez.
Above, left, Board of Finance member Danielle Dobin snapping pics of her son Jonathan and their family.
