Happy Independence The United States of America!!

This Independence day celebrates the 234rd birthday of the United States of America.  Founded July 4th, 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Here in the U.S., this annual holiday commemorates the formal adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary of U.S. independence and is celebrated in all states and territories.

At the time of the signing the United States consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III.  There was a growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England.  This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on.  As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion.  In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress.  The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.

In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts, the battle of Concord would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for Independence.

June 1776 a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence headed by Thomas Jefferson.  The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman.  Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28th.  A vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th.  Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained.  To make it official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence.

  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." Excerpt of the Declaration of Independence.

The first observance of this holiday was held on July 8th, 1776, the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square.  Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds, while bands played, people celebrating with candles which they lit and placed in their windows, and pealing church bells.  Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung.  The "Province Bell" which would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after it's inscription - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof."  

The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year on July 4, 1777, and by the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday.  The actual legal holiday was declared in 1941.

In 1859 the Banneker Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania urged African-Americans to celebrate Independence Day while bearing witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slavery.  Banneker's orator  of the day, M. Jacob C. White, Jr., also promised his audience a brighter future.

We have learned by experience and by the comparison of ourselves with people similarly situated, to hope that, at some day not very far in futurity, our grievances will be redressed, that our long lost rights will be restored to us, and that, in the full stature of men, we will stand up, and with our once cruel opponents and oppressors rejoice in the Declaration of our common country, and hail with them the approach of the glorious natal day of the Great Republic.

Mr. Jacob C. White Jr., Introductory Remarks

Throughout the years the 4th of July celebration tradition continued, and it was/is customarily celebrated publicly with parades and pageants, patriotic speeches, and organized firing of guns and cannons and displays of fireworks.  However, in the 20th century public concern for a "safe and sane" holiday resulted in restrictions on general use of fireworks.  Family picnics and outings are a feature of private Fourth of July celebrations.  Today the most popular way to celebrate Independence Day is to get together with family and friends, have a "cook out" and attend a fireworks display.

To see and read the Declaration of Independence please CLICK HERE or the picture on the left!