I would second that sentiment, although it is technically incorrect - England did not grant the colonies indepemdence until Sept. of 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was signed.
Of course, that little signing party in Phiiladelphia 235 years ago did spark the events that led up to the signing of the aforesaid treaty.
Independence was not Britain's to "grant". We just TOOK it, whether they liked it or not --- Cornwallis got his hind end whupped. The Treaty of Paris formalized it, but Independence was the fact, the reality, before that.
