Arguably the most memorable date in American history, July 4, is a time when Americans gather and celebrate our independence as a nation.

Although the document we know as the Declaration of Independence, seen by millions of tourists at the National Archives, is dated July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress actually voted on independence from Great Britain two days earlier on July 2. Not only that, but the document wasn’t actually signed by a majority of the 56 delegates until Aug. 2. These details are some of the lesser-known tidbits that form a complex and fascinating narrative around the nature of the American Revolution. Though the war for independence formally ended on Sept. 3, 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, historians and scholars around the country still debate over the larger effects the Revolution had on America and the world.

In many ways, the American Revolution never actually ended when the war did – one could argue that the Revolution still continues to this day, nearly 250 years later.

With the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the nation is beginning to come together and discuss some of the greater ramifications of the Revolution as it coincides with this major milestone. The Declaration of Independence specifically will be at the forefront of these discussions, and one of the biggest questions that has been asked and will continue to be asked is: What does the Declaration of Independence really mean to Americans? Ironically, the Declaration itself is not a legal document – yet its argument of creating a nation where “all men are created equal” endowed with “certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” continues to play out.

It is also important to note that independence, freedom, liberty, and justice in 1776 only applied to certain people. Entire populations of women and people of color were notably excluded under the auspices of freedom and equality, an uncomfortable reality that is still being debated and contextualized in the present day.

July 4 in Norwich

What exactly does July 4 mean to Norwich? What did it mean to the people living here at the time of the American Revolution? For many, it was a call to action. Sergeant Zephaniah Bliss marched with his company of Norwich militia and fought the British in New York; Colonel John Durkee led regiments of Patriot soldiers on the battlefields before being injured himself at the Battle of Monmouth, and when Boston called for aid under British military occupation in 1774, the people of Norwich convened on July 4 to organize a comprehensive aid campaign by sending legions of livestock, food, money, and provisions.

This distinction alone was personally recognized by Sons of Liberty leader Samuel Adams when he stated in a letter, “The Part which the Town of Norwich takes in this Struggle for American Liberty is truly noble.”

Norwich’s Samuel Huntington signed his name to the Declaration of Independence, clearly understanding that such an act was treason in the eyes of the British. But it’s not just these men, and those more widely known in the history books, who fought for American independence. Cato Mead, born as a free African American in Norwich in the early 1760s likely fought in most of, if not the entire duration of the war, and is recognized as the only known African American patriot who is buried west of the Mississippi River.

In addition, countless more African American soldiers enlisted to fight for the Patriot cause with the promise of emancipation, including Norwich’s Lebbeus Quy, who was enslaved to Daniel Brewster, and another named Romeo, who was enslaved to Christopher Leffingwell.

This tactic was employed by both the Americans and British to solicit support from the large population of enslaved African Americans.

Progress vs. status quo

Over the next few years, as America at-large begins to prepare for the momentous Semiquincentennial in 2026, a renewed focus on the American Revolution will be seen throughout circles of scholars, enthusiasts, and those perhaps looking to learn a little more about how and why the American Revolution unfolded the way it did. The question of how we have progressed as a nation over 250 years will be on the table as well as the question of how we as a nation can better come together to solve the most pressing and difficult issues we face in the twenty-first century.

The author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, certainly was looking towards the distant future when he wrote to Samuel Kercheval on July 12, 1816 regarding these very sentiments and how they relate to the progress of human society. These words are inscribed on the Southeast Portico of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC:

“I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.” Indeed July 4 is a moment to come together not only to celebrate the cause of liberty and justice for all, but also a time to reflect and act on the words written in the United States Constitution to create a more perfect union.

Dayne Rugh is director of the Slater Memorial Museum and president of the Society of the Founders of Norwich.