The major objection to being ruled by Britain was taxation without representation. The colonists had no say in the decisions of English Parliament.
The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occurred at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.
Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826.
The origin of Uncle Sam probably began in 1812, when Samuel Wilson was a meat packer who provided meat to the US Army. The meat shipments were stamped with the initials, U.S. Someone joked that the initials stood for “Uncle Sam”. This joke eventually led to the idea of Uncle Sam symbolizing the United States government.
- Eleven places have “independence” in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Missouri, with 113,288 residents.
- Five places adopted the name “freedom.” Freedom, California, with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these.
The word ‘patriotism’ comes from the Latin patria, which means ‘homeland’ or ‘fatherland.’
There is one place named “patriot” — Patriot, Indiana, with a population of 202.
Funny 4th of July jokes to share with your kids (OK, I know they’re corny, but kids really do love them!):
Q: Did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell? A: Yeah, it cracked me up.
Q: What’s red, white, blue and green? A: A patriotic pickle A. A seasick Uncle Sam
Q: Why did the British cross the Atlantic? A: To get to the other tide
Q: What happened as a result of the Stamp Act? A: The Americans licked the British
Q: What did one flag say to the other flag? A: Nothing, it just waved.
Q: Why did the duck say bang? A: Because he was a firequacker
Q: What’s the difference between a duck and George Washington? A: One has a bill on his face, and the other has his face on a bill
Q: What was George Washington’s favorite tree? A: The infantry
Q: Do they have a 4th of July in England? A: Of course they do. That’s how they get from the 3rd to the 5th.
Q: What protest by a group of dogs happened in 1773? A: The Boston Flea Party
Sausalito’s Chinese-American History
Chinese have lived in Marin County for over 150 years—first non-Hispanic immigrants to settle here after the start of the Gold Rush. They fished, gathered seafood as far back as 1850, operating both in the Bay like China Camp for shrimp and in the ocean for abalone off the Golden Gate Headlands.
In 1869, the Northern Pacific Coast Railroad construction began designed to run from Sausalito to the Russian River. During peak construction years, 1300 laborers worked on it when it opened in 1875. After 1870, virtually all of them were Chinese, largely replacing the Caucasian crew initially hired. In a seemingly uncharacteristic move, the Chinese struck midway through construction, demanding and getting a ten—rather than the standard twelve—hour workday. They were paid $35 a month.
The group that worked on the Sausalito segment of the railroad numbered about 100, 25 of whom died the first winter. Along with some 15-20 Chinese “clammers,” they were confined to a lodging house at the north end of town near Spring Street. The townspeople, driven by fear that the completion of the railroad would mean low-wage Asians would take away American jobs, labeled the Chinese with an “outsider” status and calling their lodging house, “Shanghai Valley.”
After the railroad was completed, a small group of Chinese raised potatoes and other vegetables for sale. In 1886, The North Pacific Coast Railroad under anti-immigrant pressure promised to fire all the Chinese employees. By 1900, the county’s recorded Chinese population had shrunk from 1,827 it had in 1800 to just 489. The Chinese became almost invisible with a few exceptions in the business communities of San Rafael, Fairfax and Sausalito.
In Sausalito, a major reason for the invisibility was that most became household servants, quietly working within the walls of affluent homes in the Sausalito hills. They normally became part of these families, much valued and in some cases even loved.
There were some major exceptions to the rule that Sausalito’s Chinese were confined to servant status. The best known of these remarkable individuals was Yee Tock Chee, whose Americanized name was Willie Yee. Born in China in 1891, he immigrated to this country in 1912 and in 1919 bought the Marin Fruit and Grocery from Wing Mow Lung, a family friend from the old country who had hired him to take orders and make deliveries when the business was still on Caledonia Street. The purchase cost him $350 for the merchandise, the scales, a horse and some hay to feed it.
Willie later moved the business to Water Street (today, 605 Bridgeway), where he initially paid $10 a month in rent, and called himself the Marin Fruit Company. The name is still over the door of this building. To the next three generations of Sausalitans, Willie endeared himself, making free deliveries up the hill, lending money whenever someone was in need, and helping many through the Great Depression by carrying them on his books for months, even years. He housed his wife and five children “over the shop” and stayed open seven days a week.
When Willie died in 1975, Princess Park at the foot of Princess Street was renamed Yee Tock Chee Park. It is rumored that at the dedication, attended by top city officials and 200 townspeople, some slightly chagrined well-wishers belatedly paid their long overdue grocery bills.
Now Generation
New book, Honoring the Generations—Learning from Asian North American Congregations, talks about recognizing the “next” generation as the “now” generation. To do otherwise, we would always be one step behind in fulfilling Jesus’ mandate to his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:18-20)
Whether it’s American history or Sausalito’s Chinese-American history or the Christian faith, we are mandated to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
As American citizens, we’d have civic responsibilities. As Asian Americans, we have cultural responsibilities. As Christians, we have the responsibility to pass on the faith and truth of Jesus Christ to others. The greatest universal challenge facing the now generation is the genuine transfer of personal faith and spiritual maturity that extends beyond their adolescent years.
Fuller Youth Institute—70% of young people leave the church by the age of 22
Barna Group Research—80% by 30
Fuller—40-50% of youth group seniors struggle to continue their faith and connect with their local faith community beyond their high school years.
Our challenge can be found in Deut. 6:4-7:
“Here, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
The suggestions are partnership with youth leaders and pastors and mentorship with parents. We should be teaching all the time.
Today, we learned about American history, particularly Independence Day and Chinese American history, particularly Sausalito. How will you continue to learn about the Christian Story of God’s love for his creation?
*Be accountable to each other as the Ashira Fellowship
*Come to church for worship and SS class
*Study the Bible and pray daily
*Practice your faith in action—Christian service and missions
*Live a life of integrity and faithfulness when you get up and when you lie down—all the time