MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — The Masons of Resurgam Lodge No. 31 brought history to life on Saturday to tie into the celebration of America 250.
The group took to the Corn Palace Plaza at 2 p.m. to read the Declaration of Independence. Penned by Thomas Jefferson, it listed the grievances the American colonies had against England and what they considered the overreach of King George III. Jefferson would go on to be the country’s third president. He okayed the Louisiana Purchase from France, which included what would become the Dakota Territory. Jefferson also greenlit the expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the Pacific Ocean, where they catalogued the beauty of the open plains and the majestic power of the American buffalo.
The Declaration has long reverberated throughout history. It was cited among political movements in the decades that followed, including the French Revolution, for its radical premise that government is only legitimate if it is given consent to rule by the citizens of a country. It has also been held up as an astounding act of courage. Signed by 56 men, they swore their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to a cause that most felt at the time was unwinnable.
From the lows of Valley Forge, the disasters like the Battle of Manhattan and the narrow escape in the fog to Brooklyn, and the gut punch that was the treason of Benedict Arnold, the following five years of war that broke out on the Eastern Seaboard tried men’s souls and, as Thomas Paine put it, separated the truly committed from the sunshine patriots. The Masons dedicated a significant portion of their presentation to the consequences, often dire, that befell the signers of the document.
Also taking part were members of the local VFW, American Legion, and Daughters of the American Revolution chapter.