Careful Words

independence (n.)

Hail, Columbia! happy land!

Hail, ye heroes! heaven-born band!

Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause,

Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause,

And when the storm of war was gone,

Enjoyed the peace your valor won.

Let independence be our boast,

Ever mindful what it cost;

Ever grateful for the prize,

Let its altar reach the skies!

Joseph Hopkinson (1770-1842): Hail, Columbia!

Thy spirit, Independence, let me share;

Lord of the lion heart and eagle eye,

Thy steps I follow with my bosom bare,

Nor heed the storm that howls along the sky.

Tobias Smollett (1721-1771): Ode to Independence.

  It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing of God it shall be my dying sentiment,—Independence now and Independence forever.

Daniel Webster (1782-1852): Eulogy on Adams and Jefferson, Aug. 2, 1826. Vol. i. p. 136.