Happy Fourth of July!

On July 2nd 1776, a group of British colonies on the east coast of North America – known as the ‘Thirteen Colonies’–  declared their independence from Great Britain. They said they were no longer part of the British Empire and were forming a new nation, the United States of America. So why was the 4th of July and not the 2nd chosen as the National Day of the United States?

a historic document

It was two days later when Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historical document explaining this decision. It was signed by fifty-six men representing the Thirteen Colonies. Two of these men, Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the document, and John Adams, later became president of the United States. And coincidentally, they both died on July 4th 1826, exactly fifty years to the day after Congress adopted the document.

A MOCK FUNERAL

Before independence, the people of the Thirteen Colonies celebrated the birthday of the British king every year. But in the summer of 1776, they celebrated their independence with a mock funeral of King George III. And on July 4th the next year, Philadelphia became the first city to celebrate Independence Day, with bonfires and fireworks. Over the years, more people in more places began to celebrate Independence Day, until it became a national holiday.

A flag, baseball, hot dogs…

Today, most Americans celebrate Independence Day by getting together with their family and friends. They wear the colors of the American flag, red, white and blue. And they wave the flag, which has thirteen stripes, representing the Thirteen Colonies, and fifty stars, representing the fifty US states. Many of them go to a Fourth of July parade, which typically has music, dancing and marching bands. They then go to a barbecue or picnic, where they eat hot dogs and drink beer, before sitting down to watch a baseball game on TV.

AND FIREWORKS

America’s Fourth of July celebrations end with about 15,000 firework displays across the country. Fireworks explode in the air in a spectacular display of color, while the US national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, and other patriotic songs play. It’s a great day to be an American!