NEW YORK — The nearly 60 men who made up the Continental Congress gathered in the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776 to formally adopt the Declaration of Independence. This was no simple vote. Of this group, about a third had served in the Revolutionary War as militia officers and had seen firsthand the horrors of the war that began in April 1775. In this momentous act, which was considered treason against Britain, Colonial America renounced England and declared it was its own country: The United States of America.
The Fourth of July holiday presents the perfect opportunity to consider collecting artifacts from the Revolutionary War and explore why interest in this material only continues to grow.