Every year we dutifully celebrate the Fourth of
July on, of all days, the fourth of July. But what, exactly, are we celebrating? Truth be told, not much.
By July Fourth, 1776, our independence had already been declared. That was two days earlier, on the 2nd.
And the Revolution had been underway for well over a year, starting back in April of 1775. The first draft of the Declaration
of Independence had been written in June of 1776, it was signed on August 2, 1776, and it was officially delivered to England
in November of 1776. (The Story of the Fourth of July)
It was on July 4th, 1776, that the Continental Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration
of Independence. That’s it. In essence, we are celebrating proofreading. But like all good editors,
they dated it. And that’s the date we remember. (The Story of the Fourth of July)
John Adams, with good argument, thought the correct date to celebrate the birth of America
was on July 2nd, and supposedly he never attended any Fourth of July celebrations in protest. (July 4th)
And that makes it all the more ironic that he died on the Fourth of July, along with Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe –
Adams and Jefferson in 1826, and Monroe in 1831. (Bet You Didn’t Know) Not to be outdone, Calvin Coolidge
(our 30th President) was born on the Fourth of July, in 1872. (Cleveland and Alvarez)
From the very start, we’ve celebrated the Fourth. The day after the Declaration
of Independence’s adoption on July 4, 1776, copies went out, and it was first published on the 6th by The
Pennsylvania Evening Post. Two days later, in Philadelphia’s Independence Square, the Declaration of Independence
was first read publically. (History of the Fourth) The following celebration, appropriately enough, included the
ringing of the Liberty Bell, as well as anything else that would make noise. (Bet You Didn’t Know) However, contrary
to what some may believe, that wasn’t when the famous bell cracked. It had been cracked from its very start in
1752. But what do you expect from British bell makers? (Why is the Liberty Bell Cracked)
During the following years of the Revolutionary War, there were some parades, shooting of
artillery, and public readings of the Declaration of Independence, but nothing on a national scale, even relative to how small
our nation was at the time. But keep in mind, there was a war going on. In 1777, Philadelphia became the first
city to hold an annual celebration on the Fourth, and Massachusetts became the first state, in 1781, to officially celebrate
the holiday. (July 4th)
It
wasn’t really until after the War of 1812, when we gave Britain another whoopin’, that the holiday truly started
to shape itself into what we know today – an excuse to drink and to blow things up. The Fourth of July was made
a Federal holiday by Congress in 1870, but it wasn’t until 1941 that it became a paid holiday for all federal employees.
(July 4th) And if you need more trivia than that, the Fourth of July is one of only four Federal holidays
that are celebrated on the same calendar date each year. The others are New Year’s Day, Veteran’s Day, and
Christmas. (Bet You Didn’t Know)
