The 4th of July or Independence Day, is an annual American celebrated holiday marking the United States Independence from Great Britain. The original document, the Declaration of Independence, drafted by the Continental Congress in 1776 has been used as a model for numerous countries in seeking their own establishment as an independent country.
The origins of this celebrated event dates back to the American Revolutionary War....in 1776.
It really began in June of 1776 when the 13 colonies within this North American continent declared Independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd 1776, the First Continental Congress voted in favor of Independence and on July 4th...the Declaration of Independence was created and drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
Actually, when the Revolutionary War broke out in April of 1775, there were only a few colonists that desired a complete break from Great Britain. The whole idea of creating a new country was just too radical.
Yet, within a year the whole idea of a complete independence changed as colonists found the relationship with Great Britain growing more hostile. The main argument was the "Taxation without Representation" which fueled the increasing animosity, simply because colonists had absolutely no say as to the taxes they were to pay dictated by the British Parliament.
A pamphlet entitled "Common Sense", written by Thomas Paine brought a unity among the colonists of the need to break free from the rule of Great Britain, and on June 7th, 1776 the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House with a Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from the colony of Virginia that called for a motion for a complete Independence.
The motion was actually postponed by Congress as there erupted a much heated debate on the matter. As a result, there was a 5 man committee appointed to gather facts in staging such a dramatic decision. These 5 men appointed included Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania.
On July 2nd, 1776 the original motion made by Richard Henry Lee was voted...in favor of an Independence.
It was on this date that John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail stating July 2nd would be a great anniversary for this new-formed country for generations to come. This celebration will be adorned with parades, games, guns, bells, and bonfires and it would extend from one of the continent to the other.
It was on July 4th of 1776 that Congress officially adopted a "Declaration of Independence" which for the most part was written by Thomas Jefferson. John Adams remained adamant that July 2nd should be observed as the correct date and even turned down invitations to attend any 4th of July celebrations.
A rather oddity of the the creation of the Independence was both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th in 1826.
Early colonial celebrations were somewhat different from those today. Colonists in the early years would hold "mock funerals" of the British king George II to celebrate the event.
Philadelphia was the first city to hold an annual 4th of July event dating back to July 4th, 1777. George Washington issued a statement in 1778 issuing all "rum rations" to be doubled for all soldiers pledged to serve in the Continental Army, and Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.
Later, the War of 1812, when again the United States found Great Britain as its foe, actually helped to increase the popularity of Independence Day.
In 1870, the United States Congress made July 4th a federal holiday and in 1941 this federal holiday became a paid holiday to all federal employees.
Some Facts on the 4th of July
1. The Declaration of Independence wasn't officially signed until August 2nd, 1776. Robert R. Livingston who served as the delegate from New York and on the Committee of 5...never did sign the document.
2. There were actually 13 copies made of the Declaration of Independence, one for each of the original colonies.
3. On July 4th, 1776, with hundreds of British naval ships gathered in New York harbor, Commander George Washington read the "new document" aloud...in front of city hall. A riot erupted, and a statue of the British king, King George II was torn down...which was later melted and used to make 42000 musket balls for the Continental American army.
4. 8 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from Great Britain.
5. In 1989, one of the original 13 documents of the Declaration of Independence was purchased at a flea market...for $4.00. In the year 2000, it sold for 8.1 million dollars.
6. There is something written on the back of the original Declaration of Independence...but not a treasure map as portrayed in the movie "National Treasure" with Nicholas Cage.
It is a much simpler message, written upside-down at the bottom of the document. It reads: " Original Declaration of Independence". During that time period, official documents were written on parchment and then rolled up...and the writing on the back served more as a label so a carrier could read what the parchment contained without having to unroll it.
7. Thomas Jefferson did much editing to the original document.
8. The "Yankee Doodle" song that originated from this time period was sung by the British who mocked the unorganized and buckskin wearing "yankees".
9. 2.5 million people lived in the "Original Colonies" in 1776, today 311.7 people live in the U.S.A.
10. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence... on July 6th, 1776.
11. The "Liberty Bell" first rang on July 8th, 1776...summoning citizens in Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence given by Col. John Nixon.
12. The Whitehouse first celebrated the July 4th celebration in 1804.
13. Before cars, July 4th was a miserable day for horses who were tormented by much noise and firecrackers being thrown at them by children.
14. On June 24th, 1826...Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Roger C. Weightman declining an invitation to come to Washington D.C. for the 50th anniversary of "Independence Day"...due to health reasons. It turned out this letter was the last letter Jefferson would ever write as he passed away...on July 4th 1826.
15. For 6 months after the Declaration of Independence had been signed, the people who signed the document had their names withheld from public. If the Revolutionary War had not succeeded, the signers would be held for treason...which was punishable by death.
The origins of this celebrated event dates back to the American Revolutionary War....in 1776.
It really began in June of 1776 when the 13 colonies within this North American continent declared Independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd 1776, the First Continental Congress voted in favor of Independence and on July 4th...the Declaration of Independence was created and drafted by Thomas Jefferson.
Actually, when the Revolutionary War broke out in April of 1775, there were only a few colonists that desired a complete break from Great Britain. The whole idea of creating a new country was just too radical.
Yet, within a year the whole idea of a complete independence changed as colonists found the relationship with Great Britain growing more hostile. The main argument was the "Taxation without Representation" which fueled the increasing animosity, simply because colonists had absolutely no say as to the taxes they were to pay dictated by the British Parliament.
A pamphlet entitled "Common Sense", written by Thomas Paine brought a unity among the colonists of the need to break free from the rule of Great Britain, and on June 7th, 1776 the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House with a Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from the colony of Virginia that called for a motion for a complete Independence.
The motion was actually postponed by Congress as there erupted a much heated debate on the matter. As a result, there was a 5 man committee appointed to gather facts in staging such a dramatic decision. These 5 men appointed included Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania.
On July 2nd, 1776 the original motion made by Richard Henry Lee was voted...in favor of an Independence.
It was on this date that John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail stating July 2nd would be a great anniversary for this new-formed country for generations to come. This celebration will be adorned with parades, games, guns, bells, and bonfires and it would extend from one of the continent to the other.
It was on July 4th of 1776 that Congress officially adopted a "Declaration of Independence" which for the most part was written by Thomas Jefferson. John Adams remained adamant that July 2nd should be observed as the correct date and even turned down invitations to attend any 4th of July celebrations.
A rather oddity of the the creation of the Independence was both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th in 1826.
Early colonial celebrations were somewhat different from those today. Colonists in the early years would hold "mock funerals" of the British king George II to celebrate the event.
Philadelphia was the first city to hold an annual 4th of July event dating back to July 4th, 1777. George Washington issued a statement in 1778 issuing all "rum rations" to be doubled for all soldiers pledged to serve in the Continental Army, and Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday.
Later, the War of 1812, when again the United States found Great Britain as its foe, actually helped to increase the popularity of Independence Day.
In 1870, the United States Congress made July 4th a federal holiday and in 1941 this federal holiday became a paid holiday to all federal employees.
Some Facts on the 4th of July
1. The Declaration of Independence wasn't officially signed until August 2nd, 1776. Robert R. Livingston who served as the delegate from New York and on the Committee of 5...never did sign the document.
2. There were actually 13 copies made of the Declaration of Independence, one for each of the original colonies.
3. On July 4th, 1776, with hundreds of British naval ships gathered in New York harbor, Commander George Washington read the "new document" aloud...in front of city hall. A riot erupted, and a statue of the British king, King George II was torn down...which was later melted and used to make 42000 musket balls for the Continental American army.
4. 8 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from Great Britain.
5. In 1989, one of the original 13 documents of the Declaration of Independence was purchased at a flea market...for $4.00. In the year 2000, it sold for 8.1 million dollars.
6. There is something written on the back of the original Declaration of Independence...but not a treasure map as portrayed in the movie "National Treasure" with Nicholas Cage.
It is a much simpler message, written upside-down at the bottom of the document. It reads: " Original Declaration of Independence". During that time period, official documents were written on parchment and then rolled up...and the writing on the back served more as a label so a carrier could read what the parchment contained without having to unroll it.
7. Thomas Jefferson did much editing to the original document.
8. The "Yankee Doodle" song that originated from this time period was sung by the British who mocked the unorganized and buckskin wearing "yankees".
9. 2.5 million people lived in the "Original Colonies" in 1776, today 311.7 people live in the U.S.A.
10. The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration of Independence... on July 6th, 1776.
11. The "Liberty Bell" first rang on July 8th, 1776...summoning citizens in Philadelphia to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence given by Col. John Nixon.
12. The Whitehouse first celebrated the July 4th celebration in 1804.
13. Before cars, July 4th was a miserable day for horses who were tormented by much noise and firecrackers being thrown at them by children.
14. On June 24th, 1826...Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Roger C. Weightman declining an invitation to come to Washington D.C. for the 50th anniversary of "Independence Day"...due to health reasons. It turned out this letter was the last letter Jefferson would ever write as he passed away...on July 4th 1826.
15. For 6 months after the Declaration of Independence had been signed, the people who signed the document had their names withheld from public. If the Revolutionary War had not succeeded, the signers would be held for treason...which was punishable by death.
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