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Sense”was wildly popular, selling more than 150,000 copies in its first weeks of publication, and created a groundswell of colonist support for independence.
over the next few days with input from all Congress members. This revision process coincided with convincing the final holdout states to move toward independence. By July 2, independence had been decided, with 12 states voting in favor, one absenting, and zero against. Jefferson thought that July 2 would become a national holiday as a result of this vote. Turns out he was two days off. That’s because two days later, the final text of the Declaration was approved and sent to the printer, and this event became the moment synonymous with the birth of our nation.
While this remarkable passage is the one everyone remembers, it’s only a small portion of the Declaration. Structurally, the text proceeds like a classic example of a rhetorical argument. It begins by proposing that if a government is oppressive and unjust, it should be overthrown. Then, it lists the ways the British government has been unjust to its colonial citizens. Finally, it concludes that because of these grievances, it is time for the U.S. to establish a government of its own. It’s also a literary achievement, full of timeless sentences that are as compelling to read today as when they were written. Somehow, the text achieves both clarity of argument and an overflow of emotion. It was so powerful that it stirred revolutionary emotions across the world, most notably in France.
DRAFTING THE DOCUMENT
Social media has proven to be the most difficult part of digital marketing. A report from GlobalWebIndex found that the average person has around seven active social media accounts, so companies have a lot to lose if they ignore social media. But using a site that’s wrong for your business can be a waste of time andmoney. Here’s the rundown of popular platforms and what businesses they’re best suited for. Everyone Should Be On: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ These social media platforms are staples of the landscape and can benefit any industry. Despite the recent privacy issues, Facebook still has an active base of around 1.45 billion daily users. You can’t afford to miss out on that kind of audience. Twitter is also pretty active, and though this sort of engagement won’t necessarily benefit every business, it’s important to • • Once a route forward was agreed upon, Congress set about drafting a formal document to dissolve all ties with Great Britain. They assigned a group of five congressmen, now known as the Committee of Five, to begin work on what would become the Declaration of Independence. That group comprised John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Most people believed that Adams, one of the earliest supporters of revolution, should be the man to pen the document. Adams, on the other hand, was insistent that Jefferson was the man for the job. Not much is known about how Jefferson wrote the document, but we are certain that he presented it to Congress on June 28, 1776. The original draft was heavily revised
THE POWER OF THE PROSE
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This Fourth of July, why not take the time to read the Declaration of Independence? It’s something few U.S. citizens do, and you’ll likely find it about as awe-inspiring as the biggest display of fireworks you can imagine. Like, Share, Retweet Is Your Business Wasting Time on Social Media? –The Declaration of Independence
maintain an account on Twitter so you can monitor any mentions of your company. Google+ isn’t the most popular social media platform, but having a Google+ page for your business helps Google generate search results, including maps, reviews, contact information, and photos.
tips, foodies show off their recipes, and travel-oriented companies post advice on the best family-friendly cities to visit. Not just for moody teens, Tumblr is a great platform for fashion brands (thanks to its visual elements) and media platforms (thanks to the site being friendly to long- form articles). While NPR and Rolling Stone do well on Tumblr, small businesses are likely to struggle. Unless your demographic is mostly 15- to 25-year-olds or you’re Taco Bell, your company has no business being on Snapchat. The many avenues of social media can be overwhelming, but it gives you plenty of opportunities to find the right platform to connect with your clients. Take some time to look at the pros and cons of a platform you’re considering and ask yourself if it really meets the needs of your business. • You Can Delete: Snapchat
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Assess Your Situation Before Joining: Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr
There are plenty of other popular platforms whose formats aren’t for everyone. Don’t waste your time on a social media platform your business can’t benefit from. Instagram is the king of visual content. Fashion outlets, restaurants, niche retail establishments, and luxury brands do well on Instagram because they can regularly share eye-catching images. DIY crowds love Pinterest. This is a visual platformwhere fashion brands share style • •
2 • www.hrresolutions.com
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