Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, has been celebrated as a federal holiday in the United States since 1941. The tradition dates back to the founding of the nation and the American Revolution in the 18th century.
In June 1776, a committee including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston drafted a document to sever the colonists’ ties with King George III and advance the values of a new nation.
Representatives from the original 13 American Colonies came together on July 4, 1776 and adopted the document. It cited their grievances against the British government and proclaimed their independence from the crown. The document became known as the Declaration of Independence.
Jefferson, the main draftsman, wrote the document, which endorsed three essential truths: that all men are created equal, that all men have rights granted to them by God and that among those rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, according to the National Archives.Â
The first Independence Day celebration took place on July 8, 1776 in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence was read aloud, bells rang, and bands played. The following year, Philadelphia’s celebration moved to July 4, the actual date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
The custom spread across the country to communities large and small, who celebrated America’s independence with parades, picnics, games, military displays, speeches, and fireworks.The tradition endures today.
In the years leading up to the landmark document, the British Parliament passed a number of acts that taxed the American Colonies without representation. The colonists grew angrier and angrier until they had enough and revolted against the oppression.
However, King George III did not want to lose the valuable American territory, The colonists took arms to defend their rights in what is now known as the Revolutionary War. Five years of war transpired before the British surrendered on Oct. 19, 1781. The United States of America began the business of becoming a nation.
Today, July 4 is celebrated in much the same way as in 1776. At the National Archives in the nation’s capital, crowds gather to see the original Declaration of Independence and hear it read aloud on the museum steps. A parade winds its way through the capital city, and the annual event concludes with a patriotic concert and fireworks on the National Mall.
Three of the first five U.S. presidents coincidentally died on July 4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the country’s birth. James Monroe, the fifth president, died five years later in 1831.
The Courier wishes our readers a happy safe and meaningful Independence Day as we mark the birth of our nation and the inalienable rights that make us free.
