Credit: © Manny DaCunha, Shutterstock

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. The day marks the nation’s birthday, July 4, 1776, when delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The delegates represented the 13 British colonies, which had come to resent the ever-increasing taxes and restrictions that King George III sought to impose on them. In April 1775, British troops had clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in effect signaling the outbreak of the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for the colonists’ rejection of British rule, detailed the ways in which the British government had violated American rights, and declared the freedom of the American colonies from Britain. The American Revolution ended in 1783 when Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

July 4 is traditionally a day of patriotism and celebration, including a full menu of picnics or cookouts and fireworks, with popular side dishes of baseball, fairs, parades, and parties. Last year, public celebrations of the holiday were largely absent, as people followed social distancing measures intended to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, with widespread vaccinations putting the disease in retreat in many areas, fireworks and other public displays have largely returned.

The Fourth of July isn’t just a day for celebration, however. It’s also a good time to reflect on the promise of freedom outlined in the Declaration of Independence and to think about how various groups are still struggling to achieve that freedom. In a year that followed worldwide protests over the killing of George Floyd, many people are choosing to make the Fourth not only a celebration of our nation’s history but a time of reflection and preparation for its future.

July 3, 2019

Tomorrow, July 4, people across the United States will celebrate the nation’s 243rd birthday, Independence Day. On July 4, 1776, delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence. The delegates represented the 13 British colonies, which had come to resent the ever-increasing taxes and restrictions that King George III sought to impose on them. In April 1775, British troops had clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in effect signaling the outbreak of the American Revolution. In July 1775, the colonists had sent a final petition to the king, declaring their loyalty to the British Crown and asking him to address their complaints. In reply, the king declared the colonies to be in rebellion.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Credit: Declaration of Independence(1817), oil on canvas by John Trumbull; Architect of the Capitol

The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for the colonists’ rejection of British rule, detailed the ways in which the British government had violated American rights, and declared the freedom of the American colonies from Britain. It was written by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, with some minor changes by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Adams of Massachusetts. The document begins with the stirring words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

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The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the American colonies declared their freedom from the United Kingdom. Credit: © Thinkstock

On July 4, 1776, John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, and Charles Thomson, the Congress’s secretary, signed the declaration. Fifty-six other delegates signed a specially engrossed (written in script) copy one month or more later. In 1783, after years of bloodshed,  the Treaty of Paris officially ended the American Revolution. The treaty also recognized the independence of the United States and established the new nation’s borders–which were soon to expand.

As Americans celebrate their freedom tomorrow, the country is much changed. In 1783, about 3 million people lived in the colonies, most of them in rural areas. Today, some 334 million people call America home, and most of them live in cities, some of which are among the largest in the world. In 1783, the new nation stretched from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi River. By the mid-1800′s, the United States had grown to reach the Pacific Coast, and by 1898 Alaska and Hawaii were included as well.

Additional World Book articles:

• United Kingdom, History of the
• United States, History of the

July 4, 2018

Today, the Fourth of July, is Independence Day in the United States. The day marks the nation’s birthday, July 4, 1776, when delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence. That day 242 years ago was a big one in U.S. history, but other important events have since taken place on July 4. Some events were intentionally planned to coincide with Independence Day, while others just happened to fall on the famous date. Either way, if something happens on July 4, it makes it just a bit easier to remember.

George Rogers Clark led a militia force of colonists against British troops and allied western Indian tribes during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Clark and his men captured the strategic Fort Kaskaskia in southern Illinois on July 4, 1778. Credit: © North Wind Picture Archives

On July 4, 1778, while the United States was still fighting British forces during the American Revolution, U.S. Lieutenant Colonel George Rogers Clark captured the Midwestern fort at Kaskaskia in what is now southern Illinois. Twenty-five years later, on July 4, 1803, the monumental—or should we say continental?—Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne was born a year later, on July 4, 1804.

On July 4, 1817, excavation began on the Erie Canal in Rome, New York. On July 4, 1826, songwriter Stephen Foster was born and famous Founding Fathers and former Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died. “America” (“My Country ‘Tis of Thee”) was first sung at a Fourth of July celebration in 1831—the same day former President James Monroe died—and poet Walt Whitman fist published his famous Leaves of Grass on July 4, 1855.

On July 4, 1863, Confederate forces withdrew to Virginia after losing the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. Credit: Detail of The Gettysburg Cyclorama of “Pickett’s Charge” (1884), a painting by Paul Philippoteaux; Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA (Walter B. Lane)

During the American Civil War, on July 4, 1863, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia withdrew from Pennsylvania after losing the Battle of Gettysburg; and further west in Mississippi, the Union Army captured the important Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg. Future President Calvin Coolidge was born on July 4, 1872. Nine years later, on July 4, 1881, African American leader Booker T. Washington founded the historic Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. In 1910, black boxing champion Jack Johnson knocked out challenger Jim Jeffries on the Fourth of July.

Playwright Neil Simon was born on July 4, 1927. On July 4, 1939, Major League Baseball legend Lou Gehrig retired as the “luckiest man on the face of the earth” at Yankee Stadium in New York City. After Hawaii became a state in 1959, the 50-star U.S. flag first flew in Philadelphia on July 4, 1960. Twenty-six years later, in 1976, Fourth of July celebrations peaked during the nation’s bicentennial.

July 4, 2017

Today, the Fourth of July, is Independence Day in the United States. The day marks the nation’s birthday, July 4, 1776, when delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence. That day 241 years ago was one of the biggest—if not the biggest—in U.S. history. What other days, given without a year, conjure up a concrete, unmistakably American event? Perhaps two—December 7 and September 11—but those days are not days of celebration. July 4, however, is a day of celebration, and Americans celebrate it in unique fashion with a full menu of picnics or cookouts and fireworks, with popular side dishes of baseball, fairs, parades, and parties. Somehow, history lessons are not often enough a part of the July 4 program. We will make up for that today, cover the history quickly, and still bring fireworks at the end.

People wave flags and cheer during an Independence Day (or Fourth of July) parade in the United States. Credit: © D. Hurst, Alamy Images

In 1776, the delegates of the Second Continental Congress represented the 13 British colonies, which had come to resent the ever-increasing taxes and restrictions that King George III sought to impose on them. In April 1775, British troops had clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in effect signaling the outbreak of the American Revolution. In July 1775, the colonists had sent a final petition to the king, declaring their loyalty to the British Crown and asking him to address their complaints. In reply, the king declared the colonies to be in rebellion.

Click to view larger image
The Declaration of Independence was adopted 241 years ago today on July 4, 1776. Credit: © Thinkstock

The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for the colonists’ rejection of British rule, detailed the ways in which the British government had violated American rights, and declared the freedom of the American colonies from Britain. It was written by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, with some minor changes by Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Adams of Massachusetts. The stirring words of the document—which proclaims “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—came to inspire the people of many nations to pursue freedom from their own tyrants.

On July 4, 1776, John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, and Charles Thomson, the Congress’s secretary, signed the Declaration. Fifty-six other delegates signed a specially engrossed (written in script) copy one month or more later. The American Revolution ended in 1783 when Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

And now, as promised, fireworks:

Independence Day fireworks light up the sky over New York City (as well as the waters of the Hudson River) on July 4, 2010. Credit: © Songquan Deng, Shutterstock