July 2, 1776

John Adams, when he realized that there would finally be unanimity among the colonies signing in assent of independence from the British Crown, famously quipped that July 2 would in generations to follow become a national holiday. Because July 2 was the date of the signing, however, and July 4 the day that the Declaration was publicly announced, he was both right and wrong – the symbolic day would become famous, but just two days later.  Last year's Quarry Lane dedication to our national document found George Washington reading the Declaration to troops in New York several days after its signing, and serving as motivation for the tearing down of King George's statue on the Bowling Green; this year's dedication goes towards festivities to be found at the historical garden centerpiece

of Charleston S.C. at Middleton Place, where a South Carolinian signer of the Declaration, Arthur Middleton, was born, raised and became one of the city's founding Patriot fathers.

After reading about the Revolutionary War for sometime now, it has been inspiring to finally watch all of this play out dramatically in the very well done HBO Series John Adams, who is played by the

great Paul Giamatti, and wife Abigail played by the equally excellent Laura Linney.  One particular episode follows the extremely heated sequence of days in which the Continental Congress labored to find a unanimous vote from all colonies to split from England.  Virtually all delegates understood in those meeting chambers that the fledgling colonies would have no chance against such supreme power unless they banded together.  The show does a nice job of depicting the understandably precarious position of delegates: to stay loyal to the King meant possible peace and a return to tradition; to vote for independence meant certain bloodshed.  John Adams became the chief rallying

Adams center, Jefferson to left, and Ben Franklin to right

voice for separation, seeing, in legal terms, that the relationship between the two nations had become unjust; voices initially from South Carolina were much more apprehensive, but the likes of Middleton and Rutledge eventually, at the last hour, voted for independence and sealed the fate of Charleston.  One of the most famous pictures of the signing of the Independence shows the Committee of the Five

drafters (Jefferson as the writer) approaching the table.  To the farthest right is Rutledge from South Carolina, who was the youngest signer at the amazing age of 26.  This weekend it would be quite a sight to watch the fireworks display at the Middleton grounds, now considered one of, if not the, most important gardens in the country, offering a planned sequence of flowers to bloom all year round, a museum (Middleton home), stable, and tours introduced with the reading of the Declaration.