July 4th at Thomas Jefferson's Home - Monticello

To begin our celebrations on July 4th, some of us went to Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, to participate in the 50th Annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturaliztion Ceremony.

"The flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism. On the contrary they will consume those engines, and all who work for them." Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, Sept. 12, 1821

Monticello from the back lawn...
Our group:
Front - Kammie, Jordan, Kathie, Zack
Back - Jacob, Peter, and James


Nadia Comaneci was the keynote speaker...It was so fun to see and hear her in person. (She is the gold-medal winning gymnast, considered one of the best known athletes in the world. She was the first olympic gymnast to score a perfect 10. In the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada, when she was just 14 years old, she scored 7 perfect 10s. She won 3 gold medals, one bronze and one silver. She went on to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow to win 2 more gold medals and 2 silver.) Born in Romania, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2001, but has dual citizenship with Romania. She is married to US gymnast Bart Conners, who was also there.

It was hot, but they provided fans, flags and water bottles. We stayed for the swearing in of 80 some odd new citizens, but split when they turned the microphone over to the newest citizens for comments.

Oath of citizenship...
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the United States o America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: so help me God."

Zack, Kam, Thomas Jefferson, Pete, Jordan, and Jake...

James next to TJ's statue...