Independence Day

Independence Day is also called the Fourth of July. This is the federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring the United States' independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. People currently view this event as a normal part of history and many other countries have gained independence since then. At the time, however, independence was a new concept, a revolutionary one, so to speak! America was the first place on earth to break free of the mighty British Empire. It was almost a miracle.

Independence Day is now commonly associated with parades, barbecues, picnics, and baseball games. These and various other public and private events celebrate the history and traditions of the United States. Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July since 1777.

History

Why the Fourth?
Though the Fourth of July is almost iconic to Americans, some claim the date itself is somewhat arbitrary. New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 8th of that year. Then, after much debate, the Congress secretly voted for independence from Great Britain on July 2nd. The Congress labored over the text of the Declaration until a little after eleven o'clock on July 4th, when thirteen colonies voted for its adoption and released an unsigned copy to the press. (New York abstained from voting.) Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8th. It was not until August 2, 1775, that the Declaration of Independence was signed by the members of the Congress. However, even that event was kept secret to protect the individual signatories from British reprisal.

Independence Day History

On July 4, 1777, British officers noted the firing of 13 guns, once at morning and again as evening fell, in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, complete with toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white and blue bunting.

On July 4, 1778, General George Washington (who would soon become the first U.S. president) marked the occasion with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the sea, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin hosted a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.

In 1779, the Fourth fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.

In 1781, Massachusetts was the first legislature to recognize Independence Day.

In 1791, the holiday was first recorded under the "Independence Day" name.

In 1870, the U.S. Congress declared July 4th an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
Customs

Independence Day is the only holiday that celebrates the whole United States and this national holiday is one especially marked by patriotic displays. Many citizens display flags or wear red, white and blue. Many politicians make it a point to appear at public events and praise the nation's heritage, society and people. Families often gather and spend the Fourth with a picnic or barbecue, taking advantage of the longer weekend or day off from work. Parades are commonly held in the morning, with baseball games taking place in the afternoon. The evening is given over to spectacular public displays of fireworks. All large American cities and most smaller municipalities put on a fireworks display, free of charge, to their citizens.

In many states, smaller fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alternative to a public show. Concerns about safety have led some states to ban personal fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed, but illicit traffic brings some of the more powerful firecrackers in from states with less restrictive firecracker laws. Many people buy fireworks when they drive to other states and bring them home.

One colorful annual Independence Day event is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, which supposedly started on July 4, 1916 as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic. The most patriotic immigrant was deemed to be the one who could eat the most hot dogs!

The town of Bristol, Rhode Island is noted for having the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.

Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games are also played on Independence Day. Since 1959, NASCAR has held the Pepsi Firecracker 400 car race on July 4th (or the Saturday of July 4th weekend).

Despite the genesis of Independence Day, it is largely uncommon for Americans to express anti-British sentiment on the day or to even view it as a celebration of anti-colonialism. In fact, most contemporary Americans consider the United Kingdom to be their country's greatest ally. Instead, the Fourth of July is generally perceived as celebrating the country's life and identity, rather than commemorating the end of 18th century British rule.


This page is based on a page from Wikipedia entitled Independence Day. You can find the page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29. Wikipedia is open source. That means anyone is free to use it and alter it as long as they credit the source. Wikipedia is not copyright, it is leftright. The Independence Day related text on this page is also leftright. You are free to use it as you like, provided that you credit Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia for our joint authorship. This means that if you want to use this page, you must include a statement crediting Aaron Language Services and providing links to both Aaron Teaches and Wikipedia.