Tag: Fourth of July

14-26 Annual July 4th Show | How Presidents Celebrated July Fourth

14-26 Annual July 4th Show | How Presidents Celebrated July Fourth

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Show 14-26 Summary: It’s our annual 4th of July show! With our annual guest, amateur historian Greg Leo. This year our main focus is on how Presidents celebrated July Fourth down through the years. One didn’t. And one president may have died because of his Independence Day celebrations. And be sure to tune in to hear about one of history’s largest bar tabs. Because our founding fathers definitely knew how to celebrate freedom. As always, there’s always lots more to discuss—including the big 250th anniversary coming up in 2026, just two short years away.

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Original Air Dates: June 29th & 30th, 2024 | Guest: Greg Leo

This Week – How Presidents Celebrated July Fourth

It’s our annual Fourth of July show! Down through the years we have look at the history of Independence Day, how it’s been celebrated and the traditions that have come down to us even from those early celebrations. We’ve looked at July 4th on the Oregon trail. We’ve examined the Declaration of Independence itself and the rights and grievances lodged against the king. We’ve looked at the signers of the declaration. And two years ago we took an in-depth look at George Washington who was so very central to America’s independence.

But it’s not always been easy. And there have been celebrations even in dark, turbulent times in American history. Like the Civil War. And the first 50 years, because there was a lot of doubt America would even make it that far.

This year, being a presidential election year, we’re looking at how presidents celebrated Independence Day.

Want more? Because there’s always so much to talk about we feel like we only scratched the surface. so if you’d like to find out more about how presidents celebrated Independence Day, be sure to check links and information section below.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Greg Leo is a public affairs consultant, working with governments, tribes, businesses, and individuals. If you need help in that area, contact him via greg@TheLeoCompany.com

How Presidents have Celebrated Independence Day

America at 250: The 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Mentioned/Related/Additional Fourth of July Links

 

 

 

Annual Fourth of July Show: The Hand of Providence on George Washington
12-26 Fourth of July – George Washington and the Incredible Hand of Providence

12-26 Fourth of July – George Washington and the Incredible Hand of Providence

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Show Summary: It’s that time of year again: it’s our annual Fourth of July celebration. This year, we are looking back at the Guy, George Washington who got us through the war. Let’s face it. If we hadn’t won the war, the Declaration would have been just an interesting but failed experiment; a side note in history. This week, it’s a fascinating look at a man who was truly born for his time, and had the eternal Hand of Providence on him so many times that his life and what he accomplished was truly a miracle.

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Original Air Dates: June 25, 2022 | Guest: Greg Leo 

This Week – Our 12th Annual Fourth of July Show

How has it been 12 years already? Time flies when you’re keeping an eye on big government I guess, but every year we focus on the Fourth of July and events around it that make the founding of this great country so unique and special.

Previously, we’ve focused on such things as celebrating the Fourth down through History, what those early celebrations looked like. The Declaration of Independence itself, the rights and grievances listed therein. Celebrating the Fourth on the Oregon Trail, the Fourth of July during the Civil War, the first 50 years, major anniversaries, and others. And last year’s focus on the some of the signers of the Declaration (and its predecessor petition).

Looking for something fun and unique to do this Fourth? Celebrate an old fashioned Independence Day at the Newell House at historic Champoeg Park, the birthplace of Oregon. This free event includes a patriotic program with music, food, and a home-baked pie contest and auction.

George Washington

But for this year’s Fourth of July show, we are focusing on the guy. George Washington. The guy who won the war and without whom America might never have existed. Except for a brief, failed attempt at freedom. Squashed by a ruthless king.

We look at his early years, his rural upbringing that often left him feeling inadequate in high society, his involvement in the French and Indian War—which made him a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic—and the continual Hand of Providence on his life that saved him time and again.

And, naturally, we look at his Revolutionary War accomplishments. His defeats and his victories. And how he persevered through both. We look at his personal struggles too, including getting through the deep betrayal of Benedict Arnold, which Washington blamed himself for and nearly quit.

Tune in to hear about America’s quintessential hero. The man for his time. And a man even King George III came to admire.

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

We have lots of information for you on George Washington! Be sure especially to check out the Mount Vernon and the Washington Papers sites. But, really, these are all fantastic.

General George Washington Links (as in “general”)

George Washington – French and Indian War

  • Washington: The Soldier Through the French and Indian War (via US History.org)
  • George Washington’s forays into the Ohio country shaped his career and sparked a global war (via Mount Vernon)
  • Excellent summation about Washington’s involvement in French and Indian War (via Mount Vernon)

George Washington: Revolutionary War

  • Super cool! Washington’s Revolutionary War Itinerary (via the Washington Papers)
  • List of Revolutionary War Battles George Washington was at (via Mount Vernon)*While there were over 230 skirmishes and battles fought during the American Revolution, these are the battles General Washington was present for.
  • Washington wins first major US victory at Trenton (via History.com)
  • Washington Biography: Victory, Defeat, Misery, Stalemate: the Early War Years (via SparkNotes)
  • Revolutionary War Battles (via Mount Vernon)
  • General George Washington led the American army to victory during the Revolutionary War (via Mount Vernon)
  • Appointment as Commander in Chief (via Mount Vernon)
  • As Commander in Chief (via Thimbles and Acorns)
  • Another perspective on Washington as the Commander in Chief (via US History.com)
  • George Washington’s Final Command (via Boundary Stones)
    • Did you know Washington was recruited one last time by President Adams to be commander-in-chief?

Timelines for George Washington

Facts Lists for George Washington

  • Key Facts About George Washington (via Mount Vernon)
  • George Washington’s Surveying Career (via Mount Vernon)
  • Top 10 Facts about George Washington (via TheTopTens)
  • 5 Facts About George Washington (via Colonial Williamsburg)
  • 10 Facts About George Washington (via ThoughtCo.com)
  • 11 Little-Known Facts About George Washington (via History.com)
  • Four Uplifting Facts About the Personality of George Washington (by Lioness Rue at Medium.com)
  • 11 Surprising Facts About George Washington You Never Learned In School (via Reader’s Digest)
  • 27 Facts That Paint America’s First President In A New Light (All That’s Interesting)
    • Some myths and more: cherry trees, wooden teeth, but true facts too
  • 47 Interesting Facts About George Washington That You Should Know (via The Fact File)
  • 10 Things You Really Ought to Know about George Washington (via Mount Vernon)
    • Like that he was mostly self-educated, fearless in battle, was the first to sign the Constitution, and more
  • 10 Major Accomplishments of George Washington (Learnodo-Newtonic.com)
    • accomplishments in a nutshell, French and Indian War, and Washington’s accomplishments in the Revolution
  • George Washington (via Britannica)

 

signers of the declaration of independence. Who they were, what led them to be there.
Annual 4th of July Show! Getting to the Declaration, It’s Signers

Annual 4th of July Show! Getting to the Declaration, It’s Signers

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Show Summary: The Declaration of Independence was the third, this-time-we-mean it appeal to the King. We look at the others and why they failed. We often talk about the Founding Fathers but we don’t often talk about the Founding Fathers. What led them to be there? Did you know some weren’t supposed to be there? Join us for this special look into the Signers’ lives, sacred honor, and fortunes—before and after they signed.

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Original Air Dates: June 26 & 27 and July 3rd & 4th, 2021 | Greg Leo

This week: It’s our 11th Annual Fourth of July Show! In the past, our shows focused on celebrating the Fourth of July down through the years and what those celebrations looked like. In the then-frontier of the Midwest. On the Oregon Trail at Independence Rock. The big 50th Anniversary. And, among other things, we’ve looked at the Declaration of Independence itself. The key phrases and the history behind them.

Our guest every year for these annual shows is Greg Leo, a political and business consultant by day but his true love is American history. Especially our early history and the events of our founding.

This year, our special focus is on the previous appeals that led to the final, bold statement: The Declaration of Independence.

Leading up to the Declaration: The Olive Branch Petition

Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was not the first appeal to the King? There were two others that could be considered forerunners to the Declaration. We focus on the Olive Branch Petition.

And we take a look at the First Continental Congress and their two main accomplishments. Do you know whose idea a continental congress was in the first place?

The Second Continental Congress, the same one that sent the Declaration of Independence, sent the Olive Branch Petition to the King, in an attempt to avert war. By then, there had been shots fired and people killed at the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Thomas Jefferson did a first draft but Congress considered it too inflammatory. So they turned to John Dickinson, known as the “penman of the revolution” to soften the tone.

Tune in to hear why it didn’t work. Was it inadvertently sabotaged by one of the Declaration’s signers?

“United”? Not Quite

There were some 65 delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress. But a quick count shows only 56 signers. What happened there?

Well. While we often see the Founding Fathers as a united front, getting there wasn’t easy. And it definitely wasn’t always united. We talk to Greg Leo about the divisions and some delegates who had to be replaced to get to that united.

The Signers of the Declaration of Independence

This year we focus on some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. We hear about them pledging their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor. And they really meant it. All of them were truly putting everything on the line.

But what led them to be there?

And did you know that some of them weren’t even supposed to be there? One was a substitute for the serving President of the Second Continental Congress but played a key role in the Declaration itself.

With 56 signers, and only a one-hour show, we couldn’t focus on all of them. But we do focus on:

  • John Hancock – you know him for his signature. Why so big? But how did this late arrival end up being the President of the Second Continental Congress? Did you know that in many ways he was the Donald Trump of the Revolution?
  • John Morton – I know. Who? You’ve probably never heard of him but he was the key vote. He was also the first signer to die.
  • Button Gwinnett — The second signer to die but not from what you might think. This signer embodied the idea of sacred honor.
  • Samuel Adams — Most people think of him for beer. Except he wasn’t a brewer. What else don’t you know about him? He was
  • John Adams — A creature of politics and a rival to many. Most famously to Thomas Jefferson over states’ rights vs. powerful federal government. Hear about his intercepted letter.
  • Thomas Jefferson — The workhorse who wrote most of the Declaration. A complicated and conflicted man for sure but how’d he get to the 2nd Continental Congress in the first place?
  • Charles Carroll – the very last of the signers of the Declaration of Independence to die. Imagine the changes he saw in the 56 years after the signing.

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Links and Info on the Signers of the Declaration

Some Signers We Just Couldn’t Get To

  • Joseph Hewes – A successful Businessman who put it all on the line. He was a merchant and had quite a few ships and was the “go-to expert” in Congress for maritime issues. He placed his ships at the service of the Continental Armed Forces. And he served Congress as the Secretary of the Naval Affairs Committee until 1779, when he fell ill.
  • Thomas Lynch Jr. – He was commissioned a company commander in the South Carolina regiment in 1775. … He fell ill shortly after signing the Declaration and retired from the Congress. At the close of 1776 he and his wife sailed for the West Indies. The ship disappeared and there is no record of his life after.
  • Richard Stockton – He was captured and tortured: “New Jersey was overrun by the British in November of ’76, when he was returning from the mission. He managed to move his family to safety, but was captured and imprisoned by the British. Originally, he was taken to Perth Amboy where he was jailed. Stockton was then moved to Provost Prison in New York where he was intentionally starved and subjected to freezing cold weather. Died of lip cancer before the war was finished
  • George Taylor – A bit of a quirky story. He actually arrived too late to vote for independence but signed the Declaration.
  • John Witherspoon – One of two ministers to sign, though the other (Lyman Hall) was also a physician

 

facts in the declaration of independence. Our founder's case for independence.
Facts in the Declaration | The Case for Independence

Facts in the Declaration | The Case for Independence

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Show Summary: Most people know the parts in the Declaration that talk about unalienable human rights, endowed by their Creator. But it also outlined the tyranny of the King, and gave 27 facts for independence. What’s this now about charters and trials in diverse places…? We look at the facts in the Declaration: our Founders’ case for independence

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Air Dates: June 29 & 30, 2019 and July 6 & 7 | Greg Leo 

We love the Fourth of July! Independence Day. It’s like Christmas for patriots. And it’s our annual Fourth of July show — with our “in house” historian, Greg Leo.

Every year, we look a different aspect of Independence Day. Last year we looked at how America survived divisiveness in the past (that show was in the middle of the Mueller investigation into Russia collusion. We looked at the Fourth of July in America’s first 50 years — when our country very nearly didn’t survive.

But this year we take a deeper look at the document that started it all: the Declaration of Independence, and especially the facts in the Declaration as our Founders made the for Independence. And against tyranny.

The Facts in the Declaration of Independence

Most people remember the parts in the Declaration that talk about unalienable human rights, endowed by their Creator. But it also outlined the tyranny of the King, And our Founders gave 27 facts for independence. Facts like, the Kings has removed their charters and holding “mock trials in diverse places.”

While the beauty of the Declaration of Independence lies in its big ideas, it’s embrace of a universal truth—that all men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights—the Declaration was a legal case against the tyranny of the King.

In a beautiful bit of philosophical and legal poetry, the Declaration held the freedom and liberty intended for mankind, as given by God Himself, up against the utter despotism and tyranny as embodied in a man—the King of England.

While the politicians and theologians could argue for or against the ideals in the Declaration (many in England—and even in the Colonies—still believed in the “Divine Right of Kings”), the facts in the Declaration were presented as indisputable evidence of tyranny. And it’s a fight that never ends.

The Case for Independence

We talk with Greg Leo, a historian and our annual guest for the Fourth, about what the King was doing for the Founders to include the facts that they did as arguments for independence.

For example, what do you know about the King “taking away our charters”? Or refusing to pass “Laws of immediate and pressing importance”? Or  calling together “legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant“? And  what’s this about “mock trials”? We look at these and some of the perhaps more obscure facts in the Declaration, and our Founders case for Independence.

And don’t miss our discussion about the “deleted paragraph.” This was a paragraph that appeared in the early draft of the Declaration but was removed. Find out why Jefferson was pressured to remove it.

Echoes of the Founders’ Fight for Freedom

Also on this year’s Fourth of July show, you’ll hear echoes of our Founders ‘ struggle against tyranny with what is happening here in Oregon, across the country, and around the world. The fight for freedom never ends and every generation must pick up the torch.

Here in Oregon, a group of Republican senators walked away from tyranny when the Democrat super majority and Democrat governor refused to listen to their concerns about a massive new tax on Oregonians. The carbon cap and trade bill (HB 2020). They realized they had no other choice but to walk out and deny the majority a legislative quorum. The governor’s response? In her best imitation of King George III, she called out the police to arrest them.

Yes. Here in Oregon, our governor wanted to arrest her political opposition.

Timber Unity Rally

Rural Oregon Patriots showed up by the thousands at the Timber Unity Rally in Salem
Rural Oregon patriots showed up by the thousands to defend their way of life at the Timber Unity Rally in Salem

But the people rose up. Thousands of rural Oregonians, who were tired of Portlanders telling them what they could or couldn’t do with their land. Or how to run their business. Even what they can do for business. There is no better environmentalist than a farmer. And rural Oregonians are tired of big city environmentalist-wannabes telling them they know better about the environment. And that rural Oregonians are the ones who should be taxed for Portlander’s environmental schemes.

Hey, at least King George never wanted to tax the air the colonists breathed. But I bet he would have loved a carbon tax.

Old-Fashioned Independence Day

Looking for something a little different to do on the Fourth of July? Enjoy an old-fashioned Independence Day at historic Champoeg Park (pronounced “shampoo-ee”). Music, food, and history! From 2:30 – 6 p.m., with the program going from 4–6 p.m., giving you plenty of time to enjoy a taste of history and still get to your evening fireworks. More details can be found at newellpioneervillage.com or download the flyer here.

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Five Different Times, on Seven Different Stations. Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

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10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
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7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

Sundays
8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM or 99.7FM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Podcast Version

Links & Additional Information

  • Greg Leo is a political and public affairs consultant. If you need help dealing with government, you can contact him at greg@theleocompany.com
  • Old-Fashioned Independence Day at the historic Newell House in Champoeg Park. Free food and music! Can’t make it on the 4th? See the full list of events at the Newell Pioneer Village
  • The Quebec Act – the threat to representative government in the Colonies. See #5. (via founding.org)
  • Read more about the “deleted paragraph” of the Declaration of Independence (BlackPast, 2019)
  • Excellent resource for historical context of issues mentioned in the Declaration of Independence — an annotated Declaration of Independence from founding.org (a project of Claremont Univ)
  • Former President Ulysses S. Grant in Japan (via Japan Today, Sep 21, 2018)
I Spy Radio's annual Fourth of July Show
8th Annual Fourth of July Show! | How America Survived Divisiveness

8th Annual Fourth of July Show! | How America Survived Divisiveness

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Show Summary: This year’s annual Fourth of July Show is a look back at times when America was even more divided than it is now. And how we healed and came together. With ace historian, Greg Leo.

Map of I Spy Radio Show broadcast areas, starting May 5, 2018
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Listen anywhere! All stations stream live!

Saturdays
10a – 11a: KFIR 720AM (entire Willamette Valley) | Direct Link to KFIR Live Stream
11a – noon: KLBM 1450AM (Union County) | Direct Link to KLBM Live Stream
11a – noon: KBKR 1490AM (Baker County) | Direct Link to SuperTalk Live Stream
7p – 8p: KWRO 630AM (Oregon Coast & Southeastern Oregon) | Direct Link to KWRO Live Stream

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8a – 9a: KWVR 1340AM (Wallowa County) | Direct Link: KWVR Live Stream
7p – 8p: KAJO 1270AM (Grants Pass/Medford) | Direct Link: KAJO Live Stream

Air Dates: June 30 & July 1, 2018 — Also July 7 and 8, 2018 | Greg Leo

It’s our annual Fourth of July show! Our eighth annual Fourth of July show if you can believe it. This year, we welcome back once again, ace amateur historian, Greg Leo. On this week’s show, we take today’s divided America and look back to compare to other moments in history. When, believe it or not, America was even more divided then than it is today.

[wpedon id=”2365″ align=”center”]

Our Annual Fourth of July Show

The Fourth of July is, and always has been, a unifying moment on the calendar. In some ways, even more than Christmas, because not everyone is a Christian but we’re all Americans.

And every year, we take a look back at periods of American history, to understand what America was going through, how the Fourth was celebrated in times past, and what those times and celebrations can teach us today.

This Year: Our 8th Annual Fourth of July Show

America is pretty divided right now. Half the country hates the current President — just like half hated the previous President. There’s the Russian investigation that, depending on which side of the political aisle you’re on, you either think proves Trump colluded with Russians or is a complete witch hunt. But you’ve also got Antifa routinely rioting, and Rep. Maxine Waters is openly calling for people to harass members of the administration and even Trump supporters.

Could this be any worse?

Actually, yes.

Fourth of July in 1800

The often overlooked election of 1800 was probably the most contentious time in American politics. And there were some amazing similarities between then and now.

We talk with Greg Leo about how the political war between Adams and Jefferson nearly tore the new country apart. Like today, both sides back then had their own media—the equivalent of Fox News vs. CNN. If you thought Sarah Sanders getting kicked out of a restaurant was something, you’ll have to hear what supporters of one side or the other went through.

But even in those dark and uncertain times, America pulled through.

Fourth of July in 1843

Fourth of July Celebrations in Canyon City, Oregon, in 1862.
Fourth of July Celebrations in Canyon City, Oregon, in 1862.

This year also marks the 175th anniversary of the vote in the Oregon frontier to side with America.

In 1843, the settlers began to realize they needed some form of government. Find out what happened to start the movement toward government. Then, as now, civic involvement could be a tricky business. Find out what carrots the leaders used to get the settlers to turnout and vote.

Fourth of July in the Great Depression

Fourth of July in the Great Depression.
Fourth of July in the Great Depression. One wonders if these children saw any fireworks that year.

While much of America’s history has been filled with the promise of freedom, liberty, and prosperity, the Great Depression from 1929 to World War II was a time of struggle for many Americans.

During the Depression, many parents couldn’t afford to keep their own children and were forced to send them to orphanages. Other children took their lives into their own hands and hopped rail cars in search of food and work.

It wasn’t just America. The Depression was worldwide and many countries fell into the trap of totalitarian governments, leading to the rise of the Nazis in Germany, fascism in Italy, and the continued advance of socialism and communism in Europe.

But even during these dark times, the promise of Liberty burned bright and the Fourth of July was a beacon of hope to all Americans. And as America became the leader of the Free World, our promise of freedom and liberty was a beacon to the rest of the world too.

Podcast Version

Links Mentioned

  • If you’re in need of governmental or political consulting, drop Greg Leo a line. He has more than 30 years of experience in the world of politics and government affairs. Greg can be reached at greg@theleocompany.com

Segments 1 & 2: (175th Anniversary of Founders Day)

  • Oregon Politics and Govt in the 1840s (via Oregon Secretary of State)
    • “The region went from having no government, other than the de facto civil authority exercised by the Hudson’s Bay Company, to territorial status on a path to statehood. Along the way, Oregonians saw the creation of a provisional government in 1843 and the end of the British claim to sovereignty in 1846. Local political squabbles between Americans and an alliance of French-Canadians and the Hudson’s Bay Company provided much of the early heat but politics in Washington, driven by the call “Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!,” added to the rising temperature on the subject of what to do with the Oregon Country. ”
    • “Over the years, no event had come along in the small community to trigger serious discussion of the subject. … The event finally came when American Ewing Young died in 1841 without a will. Young, by far the wealthiest independent settler in the Oregon Country, owned a large herd of cattle in addition to promissory notes from his neighbors for large debts. Since he had no known heirs, the subject arose at his funeral of what to do with his property in the absence of any sort of governmental probate procedure. ”
  • Marion County Celebrates 175 Years (Woodburn Independent, April 2018)
  • 1843 Pioneer Problems & a Promise – Events of 1843.

Segments 3 & 4: Divisive Times (Jefferson & Adams)

Segments 5 & 6: Great Depression

 

I Spy Radio Annual Fourth of July Show | War of 1812 America's first 50 years
7th Annual Fourth of July Show – The First 50 Years

7th Annual Fourth of July Show – The First 50 Years

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Show Summary: It’s I Spy’s Seventh Annual Fourth of July Show! This year, we’re looking at the first 50 years of America, when we nearly didn’t survive. Tune in to hear what was tearing us apart and why we came back together.

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Air Dates: July 1 & 2, 2017 | Greg Leo

Hot dogs, apple pie, picnics, fireworks! What a great time of the year. And once again we’re joined by Greg Leo (greg@theleocompany.com), I Spy’s “in house” historian, for our annual Fourth of July Show.

On last year’s annual Fourth of July show, we talked about the English Civil War and America’s first big milestone, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1826 and all the festivities for the jubilee.  This year, we’re taking a closer look at those fifty years in between.

American Revolution War vet, Lemuel Cook. Enlisted in 1781 at age 16. He served at the Battle of Brandywine and was present at the Surrender at Yorktown.
American Revolution War vet, Lemuel Cook. Enlisted in 1781 at age 16. He served at the Battle of Brandywine and was present at the Surrender at Yorktown.

Like today, there was a lot of disunity in America.  Having fought two wars with the strongest nation in the world, America was being pulled apart by the War of 1812 and many states weren’t on board with disenfranchising themselves from England. There were secret political meetings to undermine the President. And just like today, there was also a fierce battle going on between the two political parties, the Federalists and the Republicans.  One wanted to grow the federal government while the other wanted it to shrink.

Tune in to find out how and why America prevailed and how the second and third generations of the Revolution managed to keep alive the most extraordinary experiment of self-governance — the American Republic.  And don’t miss the last letter Thomas Jefferson ever wrote, as his poor health forced him to decline an invitation to attend the 50th Jubilee, that for one last time clearly and poignantly expressed the heart and soul of the Declaration of Independence.

Join us to celebrate July 4th, our Independence Day!

Fun Stuff for the Fourth of July

Links and Research

  • Terrific article on the 50th Anniversary celebration, July 4 in 1826 (American Heritage)
  • “Respected Sir” — the last letter of Thomas Jefferson, declining the invitation to the 50th Anniversary celebration
  • The Spirit of ‘76 (Washington Free Beacon)
  • The Fourth of July, birth of Independence Day, early Fourth of July celebrations, and more from the History Channel
  • More on the “Era of Good Feelings” during the Monroe era
  • List of battles during the American Revolution
  • Yes, it’s Wikipedia but a good article on the events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence
  • The Olive Branch Petition articles here (“Revolutionary War and Beyond,” an independent history site), here (History Channel), and here (Wikipedia)
  • Read John Adams’ letter that was intercepted and leaked that spoiled the Olive Branch Petition
  • Greg’s company is the Leo Company and can be found here
I Spy Radio's Annual Fourth of July Show
Annual Fourth of July Show

Annual Fourth of July Show

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Show Summary: This week, it’s our annual Fourth of July show! With special guest, Greg Leo. We talk about the historical predecessor to the American Revolution—the English Civil War, which led to the execution of their king; the first big milestone, the 50th anniversary of the Signing, and much more.

Air Dates: July 2nd & 3rd, 2016 | Greg Leo

It’s our annual Fourth of July show! Freedom and independence! Our Founding Father’s hopes and dreams live on — and look no further than what happened with “Brexit” as the U.K. voted to leave the European Union and regain control of its future and destiny, rather than be a slave to bureaucrats in Brussels.

Freedom is never easy to achieve.  In fact, when it gets right down to it, it’s amazing how much people fear freedom. Why? Because freedom and independence means you’re responsible for your own future. Worse, politicians try to cling to their own power by making people fear their own freedom. Leading up the vote to leave the EU, there was a lot of fear mongering by the “elite” who desperately wanted to scare their own people into thinking leaving the EU was akin to committing suicide.

It came down to trust. The “Remain” politicians didn’t (and don’t) have faith in their own people to succeed or to be capable of taking care of themselves. It was the brilliance of our Founding Fathers to recognize that while human nature is such that people in government will try to accumulate power, they also trusted the American people with the responsibility of their own freedom. They recognized you couldn’t be “partly free”. So they enshrined the rights of freedom and protected people from their own government and guarded against the pursuit of power.

Celebrate with us this weekend as we celebrate the Fourth of July, America’s Independence Day.  Our in-house historian, Greg Leo, takes us through some of the hard and trying times our country went through and what the 4th of July meant for us and other countries to see America stand for freedom.  Listen to hear about the first big milestone, the 50th anniversary of the Fourth, some of the celebrations that took place over the past 240 years and don’t miss how history could have been changed with one meeting right here in Oregon.

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This week in light of the tragedy in Southern Oregon, we're airing a "best of" I Spy, a show on what brings us together
Show 5-26 Annual Fourth of July Show

Show 5-26 Annual Fourth of July Show

By | | Comments 0 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | TuneIn | RSS | More

Click the mic to download the show! (Shows are available by Mondays at noon)
To allow our network of broadcasters first airing, our shows are not available for download until Mondays after noon

Show 5-26 | Air Dates: June 27 & 28, 2015

Note: In light of this week’s tragedy in Southern Oregon, we’re putting aside politics and partisanship, recognizing that people need space to heal and come together. So we’re re-airing our annual Fourth of July show, to give people some space and time to heal.

It’s our Annual Fourth of July show! This week on I Spy Radio, it’s time to put aside politics, time to put aside partisanship and take some time to celebrate America, our history, and our common heritage.

This week, we welcome back communications consultant and amateur historian, Greg Leo, whose special passion is the Fourth of July, its history, and the many events and celebrations that have happened on the Fourth.

On this year’s show, we revisit the origins of Independence Day celebrations and traditions, and then trace them through early Westward expansion, the Oregon Trail, and on into modern-day celebrations. Don’t miss the 1852 Fourth of July celebration at Independence Rock on the Oregon Trail, taken from a pioneer journal.

Independence Rock
At Independence Rock on the Oregon Trail

Next week, we will re-air this week’s show—with a special twist.

Links Mentioned