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Sometimes you just know what it means – The Spirit of ’76…
July 4, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · 1 Comment
Sometimes you hear a word or a phrase and even though you can’t clearly give a written definition, you just have a gut feeling of what it means. Earlier today, when I was looking at a Picture and Magazine section from a Chicago Sunday Tribune, July 4, 1926, I breezed by the caption of the front-page image… The Spirit of ’76. After a moment, I found my mind wasn’t so much thinking of what that phrase meant, but instead, I was struck by the emotions which had been stirred… pride (in a good way as my mother would say), determination & a deep sense of purpose. Wanting to see if the phrase, “The Spirit of ’76” had a clear definition, I went to Wikipedia and found the following…
“The Spirit of ’76 is a sentiment explored by Thomas Jefferson. According to the text published at Monticello, “The principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence promised to lead America—and other nations on the globe—into a new era of freedom. The revolution begun by Americans on July 4, 1776, would never end. It would inspire all peoples living under the burden of oppression and ignorance to open their eyes to the rights of mankind, to overturn the power of tyrants, and to declare the triumph of equality over inequality.”
Thomas Jewett wrote that at the time of the American Revolution, there was “an intangible something that is known as the ‘Spirit of ’76.’ This spirit was personified by the beliefs and actions of that almost mythical group known as the Founding Fathers and is perhaps best exemplified by Thomas Jefferson.”
Jefferson and the Second Continental Congress believed the Spirit of ’76 “included the ‘self-evident’ truths of being ‘created equal’ and being ‘endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights’ including ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'” ~ Wiki
Hmmmm… “an intangible something”. I would agree this spirit is hard to completely capture with words, but it can certainly be understood with a feeling, a picture, or a flag, and it is certainly a “spirit” we need in abundance today.
Summer Blockbuster Movie Ads at Their Best – “Top Gun: Maverick” Edition…
July 15, 2022 by LauraH · Leave a Comment
“It’s okay, but as usual, it’s not as good as the original“, is a commonly heard phrase among movie goers. Sequels are rarely as good as their predecessors, and most certainly never better … or so we thought. On May 9, 1986, the Los Angeles Times had a full-page ad for the soon to be released movie, Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise. One can only guess if the paper realized what an iconic movie they were promoting the week before it’s premier. Flash forward approximately a quarter of a century to the summer of 2022 when Tom Cruise reprised his roll as Maverik and once again rocked theater box offices for weeks. Perhaps, “not as good as the original” has finally been put to rest.