It is that time of year again. This week we celebrated our country’s national holiday, the Fourth of July, celebrating our independence.

For many, however, the holiday officially signals the beginning of the summer and is a time to be legally off work and to have a good time.

Across the country, Americans, free from dictatorial governments and tyranny within our borders and from abroad, celebrate the day in a myriad of ways. In virtually every city in the United States, Americans will in some way, show their respect and love for our country by sponsoring parades and other forms of patriotic activities. It is especially a time to remember those who died in the line of duty as soldiers, defending our great democracy.

In Atlanta, more that 60,000 people converged on the city as they have for years, to celebrate the day by participating in its famous international road race, bringing runners from all over the world to test their athletic prowess.  It is the world’s largest 10-kilometer race, a distinction it has held since the 1970s.

It is also a day of patriotism, as the city will celebrate its sixth annual Stars and Stripes Parade.

Even though there have been various kinds of celebrations related to our independence since the late 1770s, very few of us are familiar with the actual, peculiar occurrences surround the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

For example, only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Charles Thomson, as secretary, and John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress. Delegates returned to Philadelphia a month later, on Aug. 2, 1776, to sign a newly prepared Declaration of Independence. For some reason, Thomson’s signature does not appear on the new document.

To celebrate the country’s freedom, the famous Liberty Bell first rang on July 8, 1776, to invite Philadelphia citizens to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. It is said that the bell has not been rung since 1846, when it was used in celebration of George Washington’s birthday.

As we celebrate this week, it should be apparent to all that we live in one of the greatest countries in the world.

A country founded on the principle that all men are created equal and that each of us is assured of certain inalienable rights under our constitution, that cannot be abridged by government.

A country where, America the beautiful must ring true for everyone,without regard to race, religion, or economic circumstances.