It's the 4th of July. Here's an excerpt from a history book I own. This book was written primarily for children. I like it. "Who did America belong to? That's a simple question with no easy answer. The struggle to find the answer would end in terrible fights that exploded into two enormous wars. The New World, which was supposed to be a haven of peace and prosperity, would become a place of sacrifice and death.

... After days of arguments, the delegates agreed. A new declaration was read on July 2nd and approved by every colony except New York, which voted to abstain. Still, the delegates fussed with the Declaration and decided that a few paragraphs needed cutting. On July 4th, the final Declaration was read and America declared herself free from British rule."