An original copy of the Declaration of Independence aimed to inspire voter participation.
By CHASE SQUIRES
Published February 7, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - Word of our nation's independence arrived Friday morning in a 40-foot, 31,000-pound luxury bus, guarded by Florida Highway Patrol troopers.
There was singing and speeches and a grand procession as thousands of schoolchildren and citizens lined up to see one of the first copies of the Declaration of Independence ever produced.
And 18-year-old Mark Holsapple of River Ridge High School, along with nearly 100 fellow students, registered to vote for the first time.
As the kickoff of the Kids Voting Tampa Bay voter initiative, the historic document arrived on the Declare Yourself nationwide tour, bringing the country's only traveling copy of $8-million parchment to River Ridge Middle/High School for one day.
The traveling exhibit shows off one of 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence produced by printer John Dunlap on July 4, 1776 - the day it was adopted by delegates of the 13 colonies - for distribution to leaders.
Suzy Foskit of New Port Richey came out to see the document Friday afternoon, after two of her six children saw it as part of the day's festivities.
With a son in the Army just back from Iraq, Foskit said it was important to her to see a piece of American history and to again reflect on the patriotic words.
"It's history. We need to know what we fight for," she said. "We need to know what we stand for."
As part of the Kids Voting Tampa Bay project, organizers hoped the exhibit would inspire students to learn about the voting process and be active voters when they turn 18.
"The ulterior motive is to reach the parents," Pasco Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning said. "A lot of parents out there, they're registered, but they aren't voting. If their children are interested, they're parents may become more interested."
Holsapple, a senior at River Ridge, sat through Friday's event, viewed the scroll, and headed straight for one of Browning's voter registration tables.
"It's my obligation to vote," he said. "It's important."
Holsapple said he doesn't have a favorite presidential candidate yet, but he's looking for someone who is honest, someone who will earn his respect.
The day also brought a measure of pride to New Port Richey sixth-grader Richard Wildfong.
After hearing family lore that he descended from greatness, he researched his family tree. On Friday, the 11-year-old showed off extensive documentation proving he is the great-great-great-great nephew of Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock.
"I never thought my family had done anything important," he said.
Among the dignitaries welcoming the Declaration of Independence were Pasco County commissioners, Sheriff Bob White, and Pasco-Hernando Community College president Robert Judson.
The event also drew U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and Florida Secretary of State Glenda Hood.
Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, supported her broken left arm with a red, white and blue sling for the occasion. She broke her arm in a fall last summer, and reinjured it in a November car crash in Washington.
Viewing the document that built a nation based on democracy should highlight the importance of voting, she said.
"I am subject every two years to the whims of these people who are registered to vote," she said. "That's how important it is. That's how it should be."
Browning and Hood said they are steeled for a heavy turnout in the November election, when the presidency, congressional and senate seats, as well as Constitutional initiatives will be on the line.
Hood said it is not only every citizen's responsibility to vote, but also their responsibility to study the issues, particularly the Constitutional questions.
