An oration delivered at a community Independence Day celebration argues that the midsummer timing of the anniversary fittingly evokes prosperity and gratitude, and uses history to teach the costs of liberty and the value of patriotic sacrifice. The speaker reveres the founders, contrasts past revolutionary trials with the present sorrow of civil war, and notes Congress meeting under threat. He urges publication of his remarks to fortify public conviction, exhorts citizens toward duty and principle, and expresses hope that with continued resolve the Union will emerge triumphant and future anniversaries will more often be occasions of jubilee.