Independence Day: Remember, celebrate, and learn

 

 

 

History of Independence Day

from Wikipedia

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June byRichard Henry Lee of Virginia.[4][5] After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to theDeclaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by aCommittee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.[6]

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.[7]

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.[8][9][10][11][12]

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, the Fifth President of the United States, died on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge, the Thirtieth President, was born on July 4,1872, and thus was the only President to be born on Independence Day.

An 1825 invitation to an Independence Day celebration

  • In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 inBristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.[13]
  • In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across theAtlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams andBenjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.[14]
  • In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.[14]
  • In 1781, the Massachusetts General Courtbecame the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.[14]
  • In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy".
  • In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.
  • In 1820 the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state.[15]
  • In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.[16]
  • In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.[17]