Here are a few videos to watch tomorrow to remember what the day is really about. You probably won’t watch all of these, but I am compiling them anyway for future use for me to use over the years with my own kids, so they are finally in one place! I hope somebody else benefits from these as well.

This next video is from the musical “Cries of Freedom” which is performed at the Colonial Fest in the SCERA Park in Orem, UT every year. I highly recommend it! It traces the movement of freedom through Western Civilization. You can see my pictures of it here. (If you live on the Wasatch Front, the Colonial Fest is the best event you can attend for the holiday. It is full of exhibits about life during the Revolutionary War, with people dressed up in full costumes, and lots of activities for the kiddos to do. The best part of all is that it’s free!)

How about a little levity for the day?

The next videos are probably the best reenactment of the Declaration ever on film:

Buy the John Adams HBO series, part 2, Independence, on Google Play, if you want to watch more where of where the above clips came from. I don’t recommend the whole series for kids, but older kids might sit still for the whole hour of part 2. which is the salient part relating to the holiday.

Here’s David Barton, a Christian historian, below.

Here’s why Paul Revere is so important:

The video below is from Disney’s “Swamp Fox” series. It is based on a real man, Francis Marion, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox” who helped fight the Revolutionary War battles in the south. He was an elusive, guerrilla fighter. Most people have seen Disney’s Johnny Tremain movie, but few know about this other Disney production based on the Revolutionary War. Johnny Tremain was not a real person, but the Swamp Fox was.

Now, a blast from my childhood past with Schoolhouse Rock videos:

Lastly, more from the Muppets! Happy Independence Day!