The Revolutionary war began in April of 1775.  In mid-June of 1776, the Second Continental Congress met at what we now know as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and appointed a committee which included John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to draft a declaration of independence from Great Britain.  These men then appointed one of their committee's members, Thomas Jefferson, to begin this work.  The document Jefferson created was reviewed by the whole committee and presented to Congress.  They debated and revised it for days and then, on July 2, declared independence from Great Britain.  Two days later on a sunny, cool morning they adopted the Declaration of Independence.  This is the day we celebrate.

In 1776, news traveled more slowly than today so people throughout the colonies didn't break into spontaneous celebration on that first July 4^th: most didn't know the Declaration of Independence existed.  While independence might have been declared, it took seven more years of war before this new country truly came into being.

The first time the day was celebrated was in 1777 in Philadelphia and not planned in advance.  John Adams, future president of the United States, wrote in a July 5 letter to his daughter, "The thought of taking any notice of this day, was not conceived, until the second of this month, and it was not mentioned until the third."  The celebration included 13-gun salutes from ships.  Adams wrote, "The wharves and shores, were lined with a vast concourse of people, all shouting and huzzaing, in a manner which gave great joy to every friend to this country, and the utmost terror and dismay to every lurking tory."  Troops paraded through the streets, bells rang and there were fireworks and bonfires in the streets.  In the evening, people in the city placed candles in their windows. 

Our country won its freedom from Great Britain in 1783.  After one more war, the War of 1812 when the two countries fought again, the celebration of the Fourth of July became more universally popular.  Important projects of their day such as the Erie Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad held their groundbreaking ceremonies on July 4 - the canal in 1817 and the railroad in1828.  By the late 1800s, the Fourth of July was celebrated from Oregon to South Carolina.  The day became a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. 

On the 200^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1976, President Gerald Ford said, "...for 200 years, we have tried and will continue to strive to make the lives of individual men and women in this country and on this Earth better lives - more hopeful and happy, more prosperous and peaceful, more fulfilling and more free."

The traditions of parades and fireworks to celebrate the birth of our nation began over 200 years ago in Philadelphia and will be seen in 2008 from coast to coast in this country that declared its freedom on July 4, 1776.

---

Comments

Add New Search

Write comment
Name:
Email:	do not notifynotify
Website:
Title:
	Please input the anti-spam code that you can read in the image.

Powered by !JoomlaComment 3.12

Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.