Pyromaniac's Paradise: Running a Fireworks Tent, The Long Road to Victory and American Independence and The Declaration of Independence

This is Lee Habib and this is our American stories to show where Americans the store and the American people and all show long was celebrating July 4 and what you July 4 celebration without fireworks next to story Joel Wegener from Loveland, Ohio which is just outside of Cincinnati.

Joel is bright, have 10 children and working in the education field.

Joel had to find ways in the summer to make some extra cash.

Joel to tell us about one of the more explosive business ideas you have so we ran the fireworks business for about 15 years. It was a tent business and it was along Highway 61 between St. Louis and Hannibal a busy highway.

There and it was this relatively small 10 and we leased to the area and then we brought in a tent every year fireworks in it. The people that that frequent a fireworks stand are just a little bit different and not in a bad way. In fact, there was one part of me that just kinda related really well with them. And so it was always a fun time just to go and hang out with pyromaniac's and my daughter. My oldest daughter actually named our business pyromaniac paradise. And that's what we called the business but yeah we we met some some very interesting people. Unfortunately, many of the people that buy fireworks and many of the events around 4 July also involve alcohol and that is never a good combination of fireworks and alcohol bit that was often the case, and I remember one evening we were getting close to the end of the day Guy rolled up in his pickup truck and what had obviously been drinking and in the back of his truck. He told us that there was a fireworks that didn't work and he was very upset that the fireworks was not working.

As we looked in the back of his pickup truck and the big 500 g cake of fireworks had a smoldering fire inside of it and it had not been discharged and he had there were some ropes that you were supposed to use to carry the product that he thought that was what you led, so he had been trying to wipe these two ropes along the side and so it was smoldering as the back cover is his truck so we quickly assess the situation.

There we needed to get his truck and the firework away from the fireworks that and so we were able to do that and I would probably looking back.

The wise thing would've been to credit, get some water and put it all out but in our pyromaniac tendencies we decided just to go ahead and discharge at its poetic and so we had quite quite the fireworks right there at a safe distance from the tent another event that happened we will have a a fireworks tent and about a mile from us someone and a competitor came in and had put in a tent and that always always got so nervous if I had competitor ceramic so I was nervous that he was going to steal all my business and all that but be that is a vague but I did notice every night when I left I drove past there to go to my parents house to sleep and we always either packed up all of her fireworks are we had someone stay there all night to guard so I noticed that it seemed that they dropped the tents and left and I wasn't there to see them packing up, but I never saw them packing up all I saw was the tents were dropped was a camper there wasn't anybody around and I thought I found it very unusual, so about a week into the fireworks season someone called me and said did you hear on the news that a fireworks tent went up in smoke north of Detroit, which Troy was in town.

I knew I downloaded all of mine. So when the mind – curious and so we went and looked and lo and behold they had left all the fireworks in this tent unguarded. Night after night somebody figured that out and so they put a trail of gasoline under the flap of the tent and trailed it out away and let it in the whole fireworks tent went up in smoke.

Yeah, they made the mistake of sticking around to watch it into law, not the smartest pyromaniac surround and so it was going off the neighbor woke up and saw these guys running across his yard due on the ground and so the police were able to track their tracks back into the woods and find but anyway it was a it was an exciting time. Not the way that I really want to get rid of competition deftly limited that competition for that year so we got a lot of stories, a lot of interesting people that we met that we always had fun, always excitement happening of fireworks and it's so true fireworks in Elko. Not a good combination and seated myself and a great job as always by Robbie on the production storytelling in the editing and thanks to Joel Wegener for sharing his summer job stories. By the way, if you got a good summer job story, a first job story. Chairman of this we continue with our Fourth of July special here on our American story view of the great American stories we tell and love America like we do for asking you to become a part of the American stories family feud greeted Americans a good and great country.

Please make a donation monthly gift of $17.76 is fast becoming a favorite option for support to our American stories.com now and go to the donate button and help us keep the great American stories coming down American stories.com I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my equal and confident business understanding will help you fast State Farm is in your corner and on leg and a neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be Darren can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry free, clear, mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and time stamp which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's because this big pile of dirty clothes.

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In other words, not in order to a policeman who would put them in jail and taken before a judge, soldier who detained them and ship them to England or hang them on the spot where they were arrested.

So that's the last sentence of the first independence is in support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor. And many of them lost those lives or their fortunes and their honor so the huge stakes you know it's hard for us to look back on the past and understand their living just the way we are without knowledge of the future and if you can grasp that fact about the people in Philadelphia.

Those men in that little room were both by the way, the same room. The declaration of independence and the Constitution were drafted and ratified. They just passed in their names on the declaration of independence in that room and you know we know what Ken thought the King thought this is a crazy claim.

I'm the king's always be a king.

There has to be a king you have to obey the king and the king. By the way has to be good to you. So this is crazy so they're introducing the thing that nobody believes and then add to it. There introducing it in controversy ultimately treason against the strongest living force.

The British Empire and its Navy, especially because with the Army recently twice France in major wars right so what possible chance could they have, you know, because they when they brought the deck of independence, they didn't really have anything that you can call an army and George Washington had been appointed head of his.

He had the most experience anybody with more of anybody in revolutionary side, but he had never moved a large body of troops from one place to another, or fit them along the way in his life and the British were practice all that stuff and had hundreds of staff got to know all about how to do that.

So in the beginning the war was ridiculous is couldn't get our army around anywhere in the British would always just encircle us right. It just funny how bad it was. Opinion polls back then but gases tend to congregate around 30% strongly for the revolution and a majority of the rest again start leaning against and a bunch of people trying to make up their minds so it wasn't propitious if you just think about it. This is a people by what you have to remember this for hundred and 50 years English settlers especially been on the North American continent. They have developed the riches deepest practices and institutions of self-government and human history. And they did that on their own and the British had influence on it through the appointment of a governor general. In each of the colonies but that was it right and they raise their own taxes and pay their own bills and so they had all that and their use to siding things for themselves. Now, on the other hand, this is like you to see and nobody knows where it's going to go and were used to these British and are they really so bad so of course I it's plausible to me.

Although we don't really know that most people were very reluctant about this so the impossibility of it. Also demonstrate something that is they really believe this, and they were prepared to die for. And that's the only reason it works. The first independence is ratified and then of course everything goes wrong for months. They did take Boston because Henry Knox went got the Canon from Fort Ticonderoga which Ethan Allen liberated drag him across winter roads got him up on a hill and they could shoot down on the British ships and friendships and leave, but after that everything was disaster.

They went up to New York is British going up there now, here's Nathaniel Philbrick, author of family ambition, George Washington, Benedict Arnold and the fate of the American Revolution presenting a host of college CCA with the story of what happened. The Empire is about to strike back a huge fleet arrives in New York, ultimately 40,000 soldiers and sailors fleet of 400 vessels. This is more people than in all of Philadelphia.

The largest urban center in North America at that time, there is Washington dug into New York in the high ground in Brooklyn.

He's completely out general then what will be called the Battle of Long Island. The British just simply completely out maneuver washed using bears and he had run his army down New Jersey escaping with their lives lost most of his army to desertion what Washington had an ability to do is Washington had an I speak of him.

He had a true genius.

He was in a genius like let's say founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and Hamilton. He was not a jittery brilliant personnel at Quinton and a mind that can go anywhere. He had the ability to dial out the static of life and believe me, as Washington retreated across New Jersey to the other side of the Delaware River. There was a lot of static out there a lot of naysayers.

He had the ability to assist say okay what is the most important thing for me to do now and so they're in the Delaware he realized with guided got to have some kind of comeback strategy here for going to do. We have to shock them.

It's the only way we can turn this around first year we only defeat so on Christmas night. He crosses the Delaware tax transit. Any way, he had made man in his army organized all the boats get everybody over the course that were three hours late tonight at 10 o'clock. There hope of surprise they think is gone and I Washington says to go anyway. If we don't win here were going to be dead by night. I will get there and that Hessian soldiers and they were from everything, Hessian lady had a very nice Christmas and they were drunk in bed when the Americans got in the Harley casually on the Americans and then some bad happened.

The report comes the Cornwallis is coming down in relief.

He's gotta stop Cornwallis at Prince and when he gets there.

The American troops are in flight running. Washington did say he just wrote his source directly through the troops toward when Washington got close to British he didn't have any way to know if anybody was with, but they had all turned around and fallen in line alongside Washington poses sort of sources just walk instead. And there's a great volley in Washington is shrouded in smoke then the smoke cleared, it was a great cheer as he was just still on his horse in the same still go to British. They basically just turned rent rent from him and what a story or hearing.

Imagine being there not knowing what was going to happen next is no one good is Dr. Arun routinely points out to students and then didn't know what was going to happen and they didn't risk everything, everything faint, fortune, and their wives but not the honor Dr. Larry on points out when we come back more of this remarkable story how America won its independence and the stakes involved here on how Americans I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance.

I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days equal and competent business owners to help the past. State Farm is in your corner and on my neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting and facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone.

If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes and all three clear maggot packs have your back purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types we continue with our July 4 special year on our American stories and for my money. One of the greatest stories ever told not just a military story. What happened on July 4 and after one of the greatest stories in world history. Let's continue with two world-class historians Nathaniel Philbrick and president of Hillsdale College. Dr. Larry on one of the most amazing comebacks in military history. But what I began to realize with Washington. His genius was also primarily so political he had to deal with conquer. So most of Washington's career in the Revolutionary war was tremendous mass Congress wasn't paying them and it wasn't paying them because it didn't have any money having money because the state would give it any money.

Although they were promised in the great danger when it came to revolutions and republics that all of them would end with a military coup, the civil government in the wake of a revolution is an efficient, frustrating military mother at Caesar. Whether it's Cromwell in England where in the future. Napoleon someone takes control.

The dream ends and this is what Continental Congress was fearful so they kept Washington on a very tight leash and more successful Washington God, the more untrustworthy Congressman became in the following year would come Battle of Saratoga which largely through the heroics of Benedict Arnold America would score a great victory with Horatio Gates is the commanding officer. Meanwhile, Washington lost a series of battles of Brandywine and Germantown allowing the British to move into Philadelphia. This got politicians to wondering whether Washington was the right person's armies dug into Valley Forge that terrible winter and there is an attempt to replace Washington with Horatio Gates and he suffered with the troops and kept it together and he kept his army being he was one of these people. He was, not necessarily the greatest military strategist in the world, but he was terrific at working with people and seeing the big side of things. And when people see things like that is printed them. It makes them better because they aspire to such things and his his integrity was never never doubted he succeeds in getting through that terrible winter at Valley Forge, and from then on tickly with a stellar performance at the Battle of Monmouth he's in. He is the unquestioned face of not only the Continental Army coming the face of America and absolutely essential to office.

One of his best generals Benedict Arnold moves in and the other other direction.

He ultimately decides that it is well Washington's destiny to hold the country together. It's his destiny to try to country apart and he unsuccessfully attempts to surrender West Point where there are 3000 soldiers all sorts of armaments and ammunition that is foiled but America is an absolute low point recruitment levels in the states were miserable just was nothing going on there was good news in 1778. After that great victory at Saratoga France decided to enter the revolution on our side Cornwallis is dug into town at the end of the point formed by the James and York Rivers Yorktown and the trap closes around Lord Cornwallis Lord Cornwallis is forced to surrender. Thus, delivering the victory that Washington had foreseen in Washington could have been made a king after this victory. Some people wanted him to be thus ending our experiment and proving the suspicions of some members in Congress right but that's not what happened. So what did Washington has determined that he will surrender his military commission to Congress when George III hears that this is Washington's intention he says that if Washington does that he will be the greatest man in the world and that's what Washington did. He does that he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he had to hold his right shaking right hand with his left while he delivered his speech juris doctor on delivering that speech In the confirmation of our independence and sovereignty pleased with the opportunity afforded the United States becoming respectable nation. I resigned the satisfaction of the appointment I accepted with diffidence diffidence in my abilities to accomplish the arduous task, which however was superseded by confidence in the rectitude of our cause, supported the supreme power of the union and the patronage of heaven. It is an indispensable duty to close this last act of my official life by commending the interest of our dearest country to the protection of Almighty God. Having finished the work assigned.

I retired from the great theater of action and being an affectionate farewell to this august body under whose orders I have so long I here offer my commission take my leave all the way to end which is got to be one of the most consequential horse in all of human history and establish the United States and he was the man command and everyone knew it was his strategies and everyone knew that he it was his determination and moral force kept an army and being able to fight through many defeats and through impoverishment lack of supply and so he was the greatest man in the world. So this fourth of July. Remember the courage and sacrifice of our founding fathers to see through to victory a seemingly unwinnable and at times unpopular war. It's a uniquely American courage that they displayed and it's something to be proud of yours, Gerald R.

Ford reflecting on that for America's bicentennial one so as I said here together as share like Lincoln is saying opposition is going to pay as man and women is right, the establishment of justice and peace country terrific job on the production and storytelling by Monty Montgomery himself will still grab special thanks to Nathaniel Philbrick world-class historian and Dr. Larry Arnone not only world-class historian, but a terrific teacher and leader of his own.

Hillsdale College currently supports this program and we probably have an apartment story of the greatest man the greatest movement and the greatest document ever conceived here on our American stories are July 4 special. I know everything about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent and make sure my equal and confident business owners to help the past. State Farm is in your corner and on like a neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious.

There's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sentence again the next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes.

All three clear maggot packs have your back purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types.

This is our American storage and listening to our special Fourth of July addition and here's our production team, reading the Declaration of Independence when in the course of human offense, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impelled them to the separation we hold these to be self-evident, that all men all men.

All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes, and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable then to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism is the right is their duty, to throw off such government to provide new guards for their future security. But is been the patient sufferance of these colonies, and such is now the city which constrains them to alter their former systems of government, the history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states prove this, but facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his assent to laws most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till the assent should be obtained and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. Just refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people. Those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only is called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant on the depository of their public records for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures dissolved representative houses repeated for opposing with manly famine in patients on the right has refused for a long time after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise.

The state remaining in the meantime, exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of the states for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands is obstructed, the administration of justice by refusing his assent to laws establishing judiciary powers is made judges depended on his will alone.

The tenure of their offices and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance Among us in times of peace thinning armies about consent of our legislatures. He is affected to render the military independent and superior to the civil power is combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and unacknowledged are laws giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation or quartering large bodies of armed among protecting them by a mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of the state for cutting off our trade with all parts of the world for imposing taxes on us without our consent, or depriving us in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury, or transporting us beyond sees to be tried for pretended a census for abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these colonies were taking away our charters abolishing our most valuable law and altering fundamentally the forms of our government for suspending her own legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us is plundered. RC's ravaged Arcos burnt our towns destroyed the lives of our people use this time transporting large armies of or mercenaries. The complete works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation has constrained our fellow citizens can captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands get excited domestic insurrections amongst us has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages is known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages vexes conditions in every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble time our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people, nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity. We have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must therefore acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war and peace friends. We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in Gen. Congress, assembled, appealing to the supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United colonies. These United colonies. These United colonies. These United colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved and that is free and independent states they have full power to levy war included peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. For the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, and our sacred honor and great job to our entire American story staff. By the way, Dr. Benjamin Rush confessed to John Adams many years later about the harsh silence pervaded Independence Hall Solomon, who signed the document knew they were signing the death warrant. I think the most important words written about this document were uttered by Rev. Martin Luther King on July 4, 1965 Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. This is a dream.

It's a great dream the first thing we notice in the stream is an amazing universalism.

It doesn't say some men it says all men. Never before in the history of the world is such a sociopolitical document expressed in such profound, eloquent and universal language, the dignity and worth of the human personality. Every man is of the legacy of dignity and worth.

The Declaration of Independence celebrated on our American story