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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Mon Apr 18, 2005 10:47 am Happy Patriots Day :D |
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Quote: | Patriot's Day (sometimes spelled "Patriots' Day" or without the apostrophe) is a holiday in the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Maine. It is on April 19, in honor of the anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which is generally considered to be the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. In recent years it has generally been observed on the Monday nearest that date, to provide a three-day weekend.
The Boston Marathon is run on this day every year. Also, the Boston Red Sox traditionally play home games on this date, typically starting around noon. |
Quote: | Patriots Day
The shot heard 'round the world continues to reverbate. Each April, Massachusetts and Maine celebrate Patriots Day in honor of the battles and skirmishes that began our fight for independence. This year, Patriots Day is April 20 - except in Concord, where they'll celebrate it on the real day: April 19.
Yes, they take their Patriots Day seriously in Concord. On Patriots Day, troops of Minutemen assemble at dawn in Concord and surrounding towns to recreate the "line of march" to the Old North Bridge, Emerson's "rude bridge," where they face off in a gunbattle with a troop of Redcoats. Guess which side always wins? Take a virtual trip over to Concord for an online roundup of the day's events.
You can learn more about the history of the battles of Lexington and Concord thanks to the Military Science department at Worcester Polytechnic, or see what there is to do in Minute Man National Historical Park.
Of course, the battle did not just happen in a vacuum - friction between the colonies and England had been building for years. By 1775, Boston was a hotbed of radical agitation - remember the Boston Tea Party. Today, the city maintains the Freedom Trail to guide visitors around the city's Revolutionary hot spots. Virtually Boston offers the Online Freedom Trail to show you what you'll see when you come to town, as well as a series of articles on the events leading up to April 19. Some of the sites on the trail are part of the Boston National Historical Park.
Technically, the events commemorated on April 19 or thereabouts actually started the night before, around 10 p.m., to be exact. That's when that famous light was set in Boston's Old North Church to signal to Paul Revere and others that the British were on the move to capture an arms cache in Concord, some 15 miles to the west.
At the center of much of the mythology surrounding Patriots Day, of course, is Paul Revere. Revere was immortalized by Longfellow's poem (you know: "Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere ..."), not to mention a Grant Wood painting. And never mind that much of the poem is simply inaccurate (see also this page for more on that) or that Revere was actually only one of several riders that night (in fact, the British captured Revere early on, leaving it to William Dawes and Samuel Prescott to get to Concord).
For despite all this, Revere was a fascinating man, well worth the attention of historians. Not only did he live in Boston's oldest house, he was an accomplished silversmith. In 1779, he was court-martialed for his action (or inaction) in a disastrous naval battle in Maine. And he was also an artist and poet. In fact, given the inaccuracies in Longfellow's poem, it is ironic that Revere himself perpetuated inaccuracies in a print and poem depicting the Boston Massacre that helped to turn some colonists against the British.
In more recent years, another event held on Patriots Day has tended to get more attention than the Revolutionary rembrances. It's a real heartbreaker. |
So that you all know what it is, And it is sad that a ballgame and a marathon are more important these days.
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Some of us fall by the wayside
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And some of us sail through our troubles
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:44 pm |
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Hmm. We had to retire our flag a month or so ago. I suppose now would be a good time to go and get one. Perhaps will go after school so we can have it up for at least part of the day .
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:52 pm |
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How did you do it? Our last one, the Boy Scouts took, this one, we're not sure on the proper etiquette.
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Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:56 pm |
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We cut it into several peices. We still have them in the garage since we can't really burn them. I am not sure if I want to burn them though since I still feel it is somehow wrong. But if I decide to, next time I go to my grandpas, I can do it there.
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:00 am |
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We had some little ones that we burned, they were over the door in the arch, and got faded and a bit tattered, but this one is HUGE, so we wanted to be sure. Madre was pretty sure it was proper to burn it.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:02 am |
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Yeah, from my knowledge, you are supposed to cut out the field of stars...keeping them together (since the Union isn't ever divided) and then kinda cut across and down where the corners of the field of blue are. Then you can burn it.
(Founded a pic )
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:06 am |
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Cool, thanks.
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Lord Borg Fleet Admiral
Joined: 27 May 2003 Posts: 11214 Location: Vulcan Capital City, Vulcan
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:32 am |
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Happy Patirots day!!
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Dirt Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 2086 Location: a tree
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:45 am |
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Kevin founded a pic?
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Theresa Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001 Posts: 27256 Location: United States of America
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Tue Apr 19, 2005 11:35 am |
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Remarkable, isn't it?
-------signature-------
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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