Most Americans know the Fourth of July celebrates some aspect of American Independence. Do you know exactly what the day commemorates? The Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. It was initially adopted by Congress on July 2, 1776, but then it was revised and the final version was adopted two days later.
Off by two days? Not that we Americans didn’t wait for a government resolution as a reason to party since 1776. John Adams sent a letter to his wife extolling the “great anniversary Festival” that generations would celebrate with “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.” Except he had July 2 in mind, the date when the Continental Congress approved Lee’s resolution. (And this year, July 2 would’ve fallen on a Monday and we wouldn’t have all this should-we-take-a-vacation dithering.)
But is it July – or August? The Real Independence Day…
The Declaration of Independence was adopted and announced on July 4th, though the formal signing didn’t occur until August 2nd, and the colonies actually voted to accept it on July 2nd. So you may wonder – what day is the real Independence Day?
John Adams, who first proposed the idea of declaring independence from England, wrote a famous letter to his wife, Abigail, about how he believed July 2nd would be a day that was remembered and celebrated in America for years to come. Apparently everyone else remembered otherwise…
As we commemorate the 238th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, revisiting our history helps remind us how far we’ve come — and just what still makes up the American character. For one thing, not all the 18th-century colonialists were keen on this whole independence thing: A good half-million were Loyalists to the British crown, and hung on to their royal connections in places like New York City, Long Island, and northern Georgia through the 1780s. These loyalists (along with the British) considered the Revolutionaries to be terrorists. They denounced not only their un-loyalty to the crown, but also their guerrilla warfare tactics as evil and uncivilized.
Meanwhile, other facts surrounding the day widely known for BBQ and outdoor fun, and the patriotism that stemmed from it:
The Revolt The Declaration of Independence , signed in 1776, was meant to justify a revolt against the British, with a list of charges against the British king.
Old Glory
Did you know, that there have been 28 versions of the U.S flag to date, and that the most recent one, designed after Alaska and Hawaii joined the union, was the result of a school project? Robert Heft was 17 when he came up with the flag design in 1958. He originally got a B- on the project, but when his pattern won the national competition to become the next flag, his teacher raised his grade to an A.
A Patriotic Death?
Three U.S. presidents actually died on July 4. Two of them passed away within hours of each other on July 4, 1826: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The two had been political rivals and then friends later in life. They had been rivals in everything, even about who would live longest. Adams’ last words were about his long-time foe: “Thomas Jefferson lives!” In fact, Jefferson had died just five hours earlier, but Adams hadn’t gotten the message. The other to share the distinction was James Monroe, who died July 4, 1831..
And the Rockets’ Red Glare…
Fireworks and parades have long-since been a staple in Independence Day celebrations. In that same letter of John Adams about celebrating on July 2nd above, he wrote that the day
“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.”
And so colonists celebrated the fourth even before they knew if they would win the war, setting off fireworks July 4th, 1777. Fireworks were further popularized in the late 1700s by politicians that had displays at their speeches, and they became a firmly established tradition by the 1800s.
It is also said, that fireworks displays were used as morale boosters for soldiers in the Revolutionary war. At the time however, fireworks were the same type of explosives used in war and were called rockets, not fireworks.
The Author As Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration, Britain’s army was on its way toward to New York Harbor. It began:
“When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.“
The War The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men representing the 13 colonies. The moment marked the beginning of all-out war against the British. The American Revolutionary War is said to have started in 1775, however. The Declaration was signed more than two years after Boston officials refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, fueling colonists to dump the tea into the harbor in what became the infamous Boston Tea Party.
Copy-Cats: Several countries used the Declaration of Independence as a beacon in their own struggles for freedom. Among them, France. Then later, Greece, Poland, Russia and many countries in South America.
Sing it Sister “Yankee Doodle,” one of many patriotic songs in the United States, was originally sung prior to the Revolution by British military officers who mocked the unorganized and buckskin-wearing ‘Yankees’ with whom they fought during the French and Indian War.
Sing Out LOUD The “Star Spangled Banner” wasn’t written until Francis Scott Key wrote a poem stemming from observations in 1814, when the British relentlessly attacked Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. It was later put to music and not decreed the official National Anthem of the United States until 1931.
The Fourth of July is also a good time to give credit where credit’s due, stamp out a few myths, and find out lesser-known truths that are even juicier than the folklore.
Neglected forefather? No argument — founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams have name recognition (it helps that two became president). Lost in historical footnotes are the remaining members of the so-called Committee of Five in charge of drafting the Declaration: Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. And, even more neglected, is the man who first proposed the motion for a breakout from Britain.
Richard Henry Lee of Virginia was the classical yeoman farmer and a justice of the peace. The Virginia-born aristocrat benefited from an English private school education. At first an “indifferent figure,” he later rose to the radical occasion and became an admired orator who, according toPatrick Henry, “reasoned well, and declaimed freely and splendidly” with a “deep and melodious” voice. At the second Continental Congress, he put forth the motion to cut maternal ties with Britain.
“That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown; and that all political connexion between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved… Let this happy day give birth to an American republic.” (“Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence,” 1856, via Colonial Hall)
As it was his proposal, Lee would have been chair of the Committee of Five and its likely scribe, but his wife’s illness called him away. His sub: Jefferson.
Here’s some forefather trivia… Who was the first President of the United States?
Forget firecrackers — let’s burn some effigies: Pyrotechnics and pies are nice, but real Independence Day sticklers would fire off some muskets, burn some effigies of English royalty (and we get upset of flag burning), ration out some rum, and declare war on England. Over the last 238 years, Americans have found extravagant ways to celebrate (many details courtesy of James R. Heintze, Librarian Emeritus of American University and author of “The Fourth of July Encyclopedia”):
—Pequoad Indians did a “wardance at their wigwam” in 1831 Virginia.
—Teetotalers threw a “Grand Total Abstinence Celebration” to commemorate temperance in 1842.
—An all-time record of 10,471 flags flew over the nation’s capital for the 1976 Bicentennial.
—The shuttle Columbia unfurled the flag in space in 1992, but NASA outdid that in 2005 by deliberately crashing spacecraft Deep Impact into a comet.
—”The Star-Spangled Banner” is the acknowledged go-to tune but, as the Houston Chronicle points out, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” has become part of the musical salute. The ditty is actually about Russian forces vanquishing over Napoleon’s at the Battle of Borodino. Credit the esteemed Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops for making the overture an adopted American anthem in their 1974 televised concert. Who’s going to say no to 16 cannon blasts?
The occasion to fight for rights: Independence Day took on new meaning during the abolitionist fight: New York emancipated its slaves in 1827. Twenty-five years later, Frederick Douglass delivered his speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” In 1876, the 100th anniversary, the likes of Susan B. Anthony read the Declaration of Rights for Women at the Centennial Celebration.
During World War I, celebrations took on an international theme: In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson spoke of an “international Fourth of July celebration” and in New York, 40 nationalities were represented in the “pageant parade.” That same year, about 100 ships launched to help Allied forces. Other fights for rights included the 1989 flag faceoffs, as Americans protested the Bush administration’s proposal to ban flag burning.
Other Fourth of July myths and truths:
— King George III did not write on July 4, 1776: “Dear Diary, Nothing of importance happened today.”
— Calvin Coolidge was born July 4, 1872.
— No matter what you think you learned in the movie National Treasure, there is no map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. The only thing on the back of the parchment is “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.” There are, however, 26 copies (aka Dunlap broadsides) that do exist — all publicly owned but one.
—If you want a conspiracy coda, how’s this: The Declaration’s signatures are signed according to geography.
“John Hancock, the President of the Congress, was the first to sign the sheet of parchment measuring 24¼ by 29¾ inches. He used a bold signature centered below the text. In accordance with prevailing custom, the other delegates began to sign at the right below the text, their signatures arranged according to the geographic location of the states they represented. New Hampshire, the northernmost state, began the list, and Georgia, the southernmost, ended it.” (National Archives)
1. The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest started on this day in 1916 as a means to settle a dispute among immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.
2. The Bristol Fourth of July Parade in Rhode Island is the oldest continuous celebration in the country.
3. It is unclear as to whether or not Congress actually signed the Declaration on July 4. Most historians believe that it was signed about a month after its adoption, on August 2.
4. It wasn’t declared a national holiday until 1941.
5. The stars on the original American flag appeared in a circle so they would be “equal.”
6. It is estimated that 150 million hot dogs are consumed each year on this day.
7. But this wasn’t always the case: according to legend, John Adams and his wife Abigail ate turtle soup to celebrate in 1776.
8. It is not only Independence day for the U.S…. but also for the Philippines and Rwanda.
9. Some notable and/or political figures born on this day include: Malia Obama, George Steinbrenner, Neil Simon, Ron Kovic and Calvin Coolidge.
10. In a bizarre happenstance, both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826
July 4
1933 William Coolidge obtained a patent for the X-ray tube, popularly called the Coolidge tube.
More 4th of July reads:
4th of July Safety Tips
What you need to pack for a Safe and Fun 4th of July Weekend
Independence Day? Really? 4th of July Already? American Holidays