Tafuna Students Participate in Nationwide Reading of Declaration of Independence

Pago Pago - Joined by students from the Tafuna High School Summer Bridge program, Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata read the Declaration of Independence as part of the nationwide 'Sharing the Spirit of America' project initiated by the Hawai'i America 250 Commission. The American Samoa America 250 Commission organized the local reading with support from the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office, the American Samoa Visitors Bureau, and the American Samoa Cultural Heritage Collective, Inc., while at least 1,098 locations around the world participated. The reading was included as a special stop for the Tafuna High School Summer Bridge program during their scheduled Fagatogo Historic District Walking Tour.

Reading the Declaration of Independence with Tafuna students

Historically, the public reading is a recognition of the first public reading, July 8, 1776, when Americans began hearing the news. Colonel John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence publicly for the first time at Noon in the State House Yard in Philadelphia, now Independence Square, to a crowd summoned by the ringing of the Liberty Bell.

The Commission selected Congresswoman Amata for the reading since she is a Member of the bipartisan Congressional America 250 Caucus, and because of the historic ties between the Declaration and Congress. The Declaration of Independence was passed by the delegates to the Second Continental Congress, forerunners of the U.S. Congress.

Tafuna Summer Bridge students

"Thank you to the Commission for inviting me, and thank you to our students for their attention and participation in honor of one of the most important documents and watershed moments in history," said Congresswoman Amata. "We are blessed to be part of the United States, connected to these 250 years of history, and part of an ongoing national legacy of defending freedom."

The full Declaration is 1,320 words long, with famous sections, but the forefathers reasoning is explained in a center section that is not as widely quoted. Signed by 56 delegates to the Congress, the bold "John Hancock" signature, President of the Congress, became famous in its own right. Thomas Jefferson is the main author, while a Committee including John Adams and Benjamin Franklin advised and edited. The motion for independence in the Congress was made by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, seconded by John Adams of Massachusetts.

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