On July 4th in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. (This year it has turned tomorrow into somewhat of a “get away” day for many.) As always, parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues await. It is estimated by the Census that there were 2.5 million people living in the nation at that point, and now there are 314 million