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Independence Day, commonly known as the 

Fourth of July or July Fourth, is a federal 

holiday in the United States commemorating 

the adoption of the Declaration of 

Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring 

independence from Great Britain. Independence 

Day is commonly associated with fireworks, 

parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, 

concerts, baseball games, family reunions, 

and political speeches and ceremonies, in 

addition to various other public and private 

events celebrating the history, government, 

and traditions of the United States. 

Independence Day is the National Day of the 

United States.[1][2][3] ~ Wikipedia

During the American Revolution, the legal 

separation of the Thirteen Colonies from 

Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when 

the Second Continental Congress voted to 

approve a resolution of independence that had 

been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of 

Virginia declaring the United States 

independent from Great Britain.[4][5] After 

voting for independence, Congress turned its 

attention to the Declaration of Independence, 

a statement explaining this decision, which 

had been prepared by a Committee of Five, 

with Thomas Jefferson as its principal 

author. Congress debated and revised the 

wording of the Declaration, finally approving 

it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had 

written to his wife Abigail.

In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in 

salute, once at morning and once again as 

evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode 

Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first 

anniversary in a manner a modern American 

would find quite familiar: an official dinner 

for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun 

salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, 

troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were 

decked with red, white, and blue 

bunting.[13]

In 1778, from his headquarters at Ross Hall, 

near New Brunswick, New Jersey, General 

George Washington marked July 4 with a 

double ration of rum for his soldiers and an 

artillery salute (feu de joie). Across the 

Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and 

Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their 

fellow Americans in Paris, France.[14]

In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday 

was celebrated on Monday, July 5.[14]

In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court 

became the first state legislature to 

recognize July 4 as a state celebration.[14]

In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, 

held a celebration of July 4 with a 

challenging music program assembled by 

Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled 

"The Psalm of Joy." This is recognized as the 

first recorded celebration and is still 

celebrated there today.[15]

In 1791 the first recorded use of the name 

"Independence Day" occurred.[citation 

needed]

In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence 

Day an unpaid holiday for federal 

employees.[16]

In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to 

a paid federal holiday.[17]

Independence Day fireworks are often 

accompanied by patriotic songs such as the 

national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner", 

"God Bless America", "America the 

Beautiful", "My Country, 'Tis of Thee", 

"This Land Is Your Land", "Stars and Stripes 

Forever", and, regionally, "Yankee Doodle" 

in northeastern states and "Dixie" in 

southern states. Some of the lyrics recall 

images of the Revolutionary War or the 

War of 1812.

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