From everyone here at Bloody Elbow, happy Fourth of July.
Two hundred thirty-five years ago, a handful of the most influential men wrote a letter to King George III that they'd had enough of his shenanigans and declared the creation of the United States of America. The Americans defeated the British, with the help of the French, and legitimized the new nation. Yet, today, it is the French, and not the British, that Americans despise.
But! Today we celebrate! With picnics and baseball and fireworks! With parades and barbecues and concerts!
I implore you to read Thomas Paine's Common Sense. And Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience. And Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream Speech.
Savor Ansel Adams' photography. Turn up the Elvis Presley. Marvel at our national parks.
After the jump, two of my favorite renditions of the National Anthem. Enjoy.
Wayne Messmer at the 1991 NHL All-Star Game in Chicago.
Marvin Gaye at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, California.