sweating it out the day before liberation

The Liberty Bell

Tomorrow marks the 238th birthday of this country, created in Philadelphia by slave-owning Founding Fathers in the name of liberty, a term the definition of which is still being disputed in a fractured nation.

It was very hot that particular summer of 1776, and, if you have ever been in Philly in July with no air-conditioning, you have to wonder how those guys functioned in those wigs and layers of clothing without killing each other, let alone finding the wherewithal  to create a Declaration of Independence.  Fortunately they finally got it signed on the 4th.  Another few days and heat stroke might have set in.