Lost Chapters
Independence Day: Quartz Event
Americans celebrate the Fourth of July because it is the date on the Declaration of Independence, which the Continental Congress approved on July 4, 1776. Congress actually voted for independence two days earlier, on July 2, but the July 4 date stuck, and the first anniversary party in Philadelphia in 1777 began the tradition.
- Cost
- 4 crystals
- Type
- Event · Triumph
- Color
- Quartz (Founders & Revolution)
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Set
- Liberty & Lightning (Set 1)
Triumph
Refresh your characters. They get +2/+2 this turn.
Patriotic celebration featuring freedom, controlled explosions, and questionable barbecue since 1776.
The real history
Independence was decided on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution. Two days later, on July 4, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, the document that explained to the world why the colonies were breaking away. The National Archives notes that the Declaration was printed with the July 4 date and sent to the states and to army commanders, so that date became attached to independence.
John Adams thought July 2 was the day to remember. He predicted that the day would be marked across the country with parades, games, bonfires, bells and gunfire. He was right about the celebrations, but they landed on a different date.
Within days, General George Washington had the Declaration read aloud to his troops in New York. In 1777, on the first anniversary, Philadelphia held a celebration on July 4. After that, marking July 4 became a custom, and it spread widely after the War of 1812.
The holiday became official much later. In 1870 Congress made July 4 an official holiday in Washington, D.C. In 1938 it became a paid holiday for federal employees. Today the National Park Service still holds a fireworks display in the nation's capital every July 4, a nod to Adams's vision of a day full of noise and light.
Sources
- History of Independence Day, National Mall and Memorial Parks, National Park Service
- Declaration of Independence (1776), National Archives
- Did You Know... Independence Day Should Actually Be July 2?, National Archives
- Independence Day: Fact Sheet, Congressional Research Service (copy on EveryCRSReport)
How the card plays
Independence Day costs 4 crystals and is a Quartz Event. It has Triumph, a game term meaning that if it is revealed from your Life cards you may play it for free. When it resolves, you refresh your characters, standing every rested one back up, and they get +2/+2 this turn.
Think of it as a second attack phase with fireworks. Attack with your team first, then play it, and your rested characters stand up again with extra power to swing a second time or to block. It is a strong finisher when you already have several characters on the field. George Washington, Freeworld Founder adds +1/+1 to your other characters while he is in play, The Statue of Liberty gives everyone another +1/+1 while it stays in play, and The Flag adds the same bonus with a single item.
- Playable in decks led by George Washington, and by any Traveler Leader whose colors include Quartz.
- In the Washington starter deck (1 copy). Deck code:
LC2-BhoCgAKBAYIBgwGEAYUBhgKHAYgBiQGKAYsBjAKNAY4BjwGQAZEBkgGTAZQBlQGWAZcBmAGZAZoCmwGcAZ0BngGfAaABoQFBjA - A deck holds up to 3 copies of this card.
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