On May 31, 1926, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge called upon the American people to “renew their fidelity to the fundamental principles of the Declaration of Independence,” and suggested that the period between June 28 and July 5 be known as “American Independence Week.” Patriotic celebrations were to be held throughout the U.S., including the ringing of bells at 11 a.m. on June 28, when millions of children would recite the official Patriot’s Pledge of Faith. The American community in Korea was no exception. The Oriental Consolidated Mining Company (OCMC), an American gold mining concession in northern Korea, faithfully celebrated the Fourth of July every year. The company was known for its patriotism, and even its non-American employees looked forward to the Fourth of July — even if their reasons were more about not having to work. According to Kenneth Moyer, then 23, every day at the mine seemed the same, even Sundays, except the Fourth of July. “That is the only day the mine and mills shut down out here,” he explained in a letter home to his mother. He went on to add