My family and I made it out on the Fourth of July to Washington’s Headquarters in Morristown, NJ for the public reading of the Declaration of Independence. This was our first time attending this yearly event.
The festivities began at 12pm with demonstrations by reenactors of the 2nd New Jersey regiment. The regiment did a fantastic job showing the crowd how to stand in a line, reload their muskets, and how to use the bayonet. They thoroughly explained the use of muskets in the Revolutionary War, as well as the uniforms and limited supplies of Continental soldiers.
The 2nd New Jersey regiment’s demonstrations lasted nearly to 1pm. At that point there were a few speakers including Thomas Ross, the Superintendent of Morristown National Historic Park. He described the rehabilitation projects taking place at the park, including to the Ford Mansion, as well as to the museum. These projects are in preparation of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution.
Another speaker who addressed the crowd was Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill who represents New Jersey District 11. She described New Jersey’s importance to the Revolution and praised the efforts to preserve New Jersey’s history.
At 1pm, Ranger Tom Winslow read the Declaration of Independence. The audience was encouraged to give shouts of “Huzzah!” when he read words/ phrases favorable to freedom and independence. The audience was encouraged to shout “Down with King George!” Or “Down with Tyranny!” when he read the many grievances listed against the king.
Finally, the program concluded at about 1:30 and my family went in and visited the museum. Representative Mikie Sherrill met and spoke with visitors, while the reenactors also took photos. My family and I really enjoyed our patriotic Fourth of July in Morristown, and would love to come back again! Check out my social media sites in the coming days for videos of the event, including drills, discussions of the revolutionary soldiers, speakers, and the reading of the Declaration of Independence: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Below are links to organzations who helped run the event or were in attendance.
Morristown National Historic Park
Washington Association of New Jersey
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