By Library of Congress, adapted by Newsela staff
"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.
— John Adams, July 3, 1776
Adams believed that July 2 was the correct date to celebrate the beginning of the nation. That was when the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence. Obviously, his view did not win out.
Out of protest, he turned down invitations to appear at July 4 events.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain. Today, the event is marked by yearly celebrations, and July 4 is remembered as symbolic birth of the United States.
"You may rejoice, I must mourn"July 4 wasn't celebrated right away. Independence Day celebrations didn't become common until after the War of 1812. In the coming years, the symbolic importance of the date grew. Major events such as groundbreaking ceremonies for the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were timed to line up with July 4 celebrations.
Not all Americans were interested. July 4 celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in which Jefferson wrote that "All men are created equal." Until the Civil War, however, slavery was legal in the United States. Jefferson's declaration did not apply to slaves.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave but escaped to become one of the great leaders of the anti-slavery movement. In 1852, he gave a speech called "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
"The Fourth of July is yours, not mine," he said. "You may rejoice, I must mourn."
Communities unite for one dayBy the 1870s, July 4 was the most important non-religious holiday on the calendar. Congress passed a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. It became a day when communities came together, even in far-flung territories on the western frontier.
In 1938, Miss Nettie Spencer was interviewed and spoke about what July 4 celebrations were like in the 1870s in Portland, Oregon. She remembered July 4 as the "big event of the year. Everyone in the countryside got together on that day for the only time in the year."
She continued, "Just before lunch, some senator or lawyer would speak. These speeches always had one pattern. First, the speaker would challenge England to a fight and berate the king and say that he was a skunk. This was known as twisting the lion's tail. Then, the next theme was that any one could find freedom and liberty on our shores. The speaker would invite those who were heavy laden in other lands to come to us and find peace. The speeches were pretty fiery and by that time the men who drank got into fights and called each other Englishmen. In the afternoon, we had what we called the 'plug uglies' — funny floats and clowns who took off on the political subjects of the day. The Fourth was the day of the year that really counted then. Christmas wasn't much; a church tree or something, but no one twisted the lion's tail."
The fanfare continuesDown South the celebration was similar. In 1940, 96-year-old Dr. Samuel B. Lathan recalled the Independence Day celebrations of his South Carolina childhood.
Dr. Lathan said, "The Fourth of July was observed at Caldwell Cross Roads. The military companies of infantry would assembly here from the surrounding counties making up a brigade. A drill and inspection were had, and a dress parade followed. There was an old cannon mounted on the field. The honor of firing it was assigned to Hugh Reed, who had been in the artillery of Napoleon's army at Waterloo and afterward emigrated to South Carolina. A great barbecue and picnic dinner would be served; candidates for military, state, and national offices would speak; hard liquor would flow; and each section would present its 'bully of the woods' in a contest for champion in a fist and skull fight."
Now, as then, Americans celebrate Independence Day with great fanfare. Picnics and parades fill the day, fireworks fill the night sky, and people play John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The classic July 4 experience includes a barbecue cookout.
"The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.
— John Adams, July 3, 1776
Adams believed that July 2 was the correct date to celebrate the beginning of the nation. That was when the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence. Obviously, his view did not win out.
Out of protest, he turned down invitations to appear at July 4 events.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain. Today, the event is marked by yearly celebrations, and July 4 is remembered as symbolic birth of the United States.
"You may rejoice, I must mourn"July 4 wasn't celebrated right away. Independence Day celebrations didn't become common until after the War of 1812. In the coming years, the symbolic importance of the date grew. Major events such as groundbreaking ceremonies for the Erie Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad were timed to line up with July 4 celebrations.
Not all Americans were interested. July 4 celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, in which Jefferson wrote that "All men are created equal." Until the Civil War, however, slavery was legal in the United States. Jefferson's declaration did not apply to slaves.
Frederick Douglass was born a slave but escaped to become one of the great leaders of the anti-slavery movement. In 1852, he gave a speech called "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
"The Fourth of July is yours, not mine," he said. "You may rejoice, I must mourn."
Communities unite for one dayBy the 1870s, July 4 was the most important non-religious holiday on the calendar. Congress passed a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870. It became a day when communities came together, even in far-flung territories on the western frontier.
In 1938, Miss Nettie Spencer was interviewed and spoke about what July 4 celebrations were like in the 1870s in Portland, Oregon. She remembered July 4 as the "big event of the year. Everyone in the countryside got together on that day for the only time in the year."
She continued, "Just before lunch, some senator or lawyer would speak. These speeches always had one pattern. First, the speaker would challenge England to a fight and berate the king and say that he was a skunk. This was known as twisting the lion's tail. Then, the next theme was that any one could find freedom and liberty on our shores. The speaker would invite those who were heavy laden in other lands to come to us and find peace. The speeches were pretty fiery and by that time the men who drank got into fights and called each other Englishmen. In the afternoon, we had what we called the 'plug uglies' — funny floats and clowns who took off on the political subjects of the day. The Fourth was the day of the year that really counted then. Christmas wasn't much; a church tree or something, but no one twisted the lion's tail."
The fanfare continuesDown South the celebration was similar. In 1940, 96-year-old Dr. Samuel B. Lathan recalled the Independence Day celebrations of his South Carolina childhood.
Dr. Lathan said, "The Fourth of July was observed at Caldwell Cross Roads. The military companies of infantry would assembly here from the surrounding counties making up a brigade. A drill and inspection were had, and a dress parade followed. There was an old cannon mounted on the field. The honor of firing it was assigned to Hugh Reed, who had been in the artillery of Napoleon's army at Waterloo and afterward emigrated to South Carolina. A great barbecue and picnic dinner would be served; candidates for military, state, and national offices would speak; hard liquor would flow; and each section would present its 'bully of the woods' in a contest for champion in a fist and skull fight."
Now, as then, Americans celebrate Independence Day with great fanfare. Picnics and parades fill the day, fireworks fill the night sky, and people play John Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The classic July 4 experience includes a barbecue cookout.