“It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews [Shows], Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more,” John Adams wrote.
When most of us think of July 4th, we think of fireworks and cookouts. Some people forget how the 4th became Independence Day. How the 4th changed this country forever. I am going to remind you how this holiday we will celebrate for the 237th year came to be and how it is now. I may tell you some things you didn’t know. I’m definitely going to tell you some fun facts for you to impress your friends with this weekend.
Before we begin this trip through our countries most notable holiday, I feel I should remind you why it even became necessary to write the Declaration of Independence.
During the 1700s, Great Britain colonized America. Our ancestors were more or less tenants who were expected to pay rent. They were to do this by exporting goods. After the French and Indian war during 1754-1763, Britain went into debt. To cure this debt, they began to ask more from the colonies. They began by not allowing them to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains.
1764 and 1765 were the big years when they really started oppressing the colonies. They banned them from creating any paper bills or other forms of currency, forcing Colonists to house, feed, and take care of British soldiers who didn’t have rooms in their barracks. The one law they imposed which set off the American Colonists was taxes. They started out as stamps. These stamps were placed on playing cards, newspapers, and legal documents.
All of those laws and acts were the fuel of many rebellions. The Boston Massacre made the militias want to fight more. The Boston Tea Party, headed by Samuel Adams, dressed as “Indians” with faces covered in soot and wool blankets and spent over three hours dumping 342 barrels of tea off of three ships. First fun fact: that would be around $1,000,000 today! Even though the Declaration of Independence wouldn’t be signed for another 2 1/2 years, Adams and the members of the Continental Congress gave the colonists the power they needed to start fighting back.
One June 11, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed five men to begin drafting the Declaration. Those men were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston and, most notably, Thomas Jefferson. Adams appointed Jefferson to write the Declaration due to his ability to write almost anything like a poet. Most thought that Adams would have been better to write the Declaration, but Jefferson had a better touch with words. The two became best friends through the process, pushing each other to become two of our greatest Founding Fathers. It took Jefferson 17 days to write the Declaration amidst many changes that the committee kept implementing.
On June 28, 1776, the committee presented the document to the Continental Congress. Now here is where many people believe that the true Independence Day is, not the 4th of July. On July 2, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress voted and approved The Declaration of Independence. After some final touches, the document was officially signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 4, 1776. This was the beginning of the country as we know it.
Most of us have heard the phrase “put your John Hancock here.” Wonder where that came from? John Hancock. As president of the Continental Congress, he was first to sign the document. He made his signature large at the top and middle of the blank area designated for the signatures. He had a very distinct signature with a lot of flamboyant flare. Some say that he did this so King George the III himself wouldn’t miss it, but that was never known to be true. Want another fun fact about the signers of the declaration? The final document wasn’t actually signed until August 2, 1776. Not all 56 signers signed on that date either. Eight of these men were actually born in Britain also.
Now to the Liberty Bell. Growing up, I was led to believe that the iconic Liberty Bell was rung on the 4th of July signaling the signing of the document. The bell wasn’t actually rung until July 8, 1776, when the official reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred in Philadelphia. There still isn’t any certainty to the bell being cracked on the day it was rung, but hey – they didn’t have cameras back then. July 8 also adds more significance to the way we celebrate today. The townspeople began celebrating after the reading with picnics, cooking on fires, and shooting off guns. What about the fireworks? It wasn’t until the next year that fireworks became part of the festivities.
Celebrations weren’t really widely engaged in until after the War of 1812. George Washington celebrated every year with his soldiers though. How did they do this while in the battlefields? With double rations of rum, of course. Bristol, Rhode Island is the home to the most continuous celebration of our Independence Day with it dating back to 1785. They are very proud of this also, as they should be. The 4th wasn’t a federal legal holiday until congress declared it so in 1941. Before then, congress and other political and legal members took the day off without pay. Now, most of us get paid. Even though Thomas Jefferson and John Adams never got to see the grand celebration the day had become, (they both died July 4,1826, just five hours apart), they will always be known as the men who helped our country be just that. Our country.
This country declared its Independence because a group of men were not going to tolerate Great Britain’s King George the III taking away their hard earned money laying down. They decided to fight for what was right. They decided to make THEIR country a country that a man could be proud of. It doesn’t matter if you think this started because of the laws implemented, or if it was the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, or if it started the day the Declaration was voted in. What matters is this country went from being controlled by a King on the other side of the ocean to being run by Americans.
Those men and women who fought for us to be free, they are the heroes. The ones who still fight to this day, they are heroes. As you celebrate this year, remember those who fought for us. Remember why we have fireworks, cookouts, and Independence.
In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt
Smile and light a sparkler.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Happy 4th of July!
- 155 million hot dogs will be consumed on the 4th, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. more than five times.
- Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest record is 68 buns and dogs in 10 min.
- In July 1776 there were an estimated 2.5 million colonists.
- There will be an estimated 316.2 million people this 4th of July.
- There are 59 places in the country with the name “Liberty” in them.
- There are only four federal holidays that are celebrated on the same calendar date every year: New Year’s Day, Christmas, Veteran’s Day and Independence Day.
- If it was up to Benjamin Franklin, our National Bird would be a turkey.
- There are four states that do not allow any type of fireworks including sparklers.
- Denmark began celebrating our Independence Day in 1912 after thousands of Danes immigrated into the U.S.
- Macy’s has the largest firework display in the country. This will be its 37th year.
- There are more than 14,000 firework displays each 4th of July.
- The American Flag is nicknamed “Old Glory” because the colors are old glory red, old glory blue and white.
