Conversation – 15

The Story of the Fourth of July

The Declaration of Independence
We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation.

But July 4, 1776 wasn’t the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776).

It wasn’t the day we started the American Revolution either (that had happened back in April 1775).

And it wasn’t the day Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence (that was in June 1776). Or the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didn’t happen until November 1776). Or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776).

So what did happen on July 4, 1776?
The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. They’d been working on it for a couple of days after the draft was submitted on July 2nd and finally agreed on all of the edits and changes.

July 4, 1776, became the date that was included on the Declaration of Independence, and the fancy handwritten copy that was signed in August (the copy now displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) It’s also the date that was printed on the Dunlap Broadsides, the original printed copies of the Declaration that were circulated throughout the new nation. So when people thought of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 was the date they remembered.

In contrast, we celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th of each year, the anniversary of the date the Constitution was signed, not the anniversary of the date it was approved. If we’d followed this same approach for the Declaration of Independence we’d being celebrating Independence Day on August 2nd of each year, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed!

How did the Fourth of July become a national holiday?
For the first 15 or 20 years after the Declaration was written, people didn’t celebrate it much on any date. It was too new and too much else was happening in the young nation. By the 1790s, a time of bitter partisan conflicts, the Declaration had become controversial. One party, the Democratic-Republicans, admired Jefferson and the Declaration. But the other party, the Federalists, thought the Declaration was too French and too anti-British, which went against their current policies.

By 1817, John Adams complained in a letter that America seemed uninterested in its past. But that would soon change.

After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to come apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. The deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826, may even have helped to promote the idea of July 4 as an important date to be celebrated.

Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years went on and in 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Further legislation about national holidays, including July 4, was passed in 1939 and 1941.

KITTENGIRL THANK YOU . I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT SUMMER . GOOD LUCK TO THE KIDS WITH THEIR MUSIC TALENTS . I WEAR ROBERTOS RED TASSEL EARRINGS WITH BLACK AND CRYSTAL . I GET SO MANY CPMPLIMENTS ON THEM ITS SHOCKING . LOVE HIS JEWERLY. ITS NICE TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOUR FAVORITE DESIGHNERS .ALL THE BEST TO YOU KITTENGIRL AND YOUR FAMILY.

Mcpoopoo ….. Happy 4th

♥Cherie

TACI …. can You see us waving!!! Have a Great 4th!!

KITTENGIRL …. It is still hard, how do you forget ALL the little things that Simba would do. She was always there, the house feels so empty. Thank You so much for your kind Well Wishes. So true about this State is really has it ALL! Continues Prayers for You and Your Fur-Babies. Happy 4th

LOAF …. Happy 4th.

♥Cherie

Great Fireworks Gallery Sheba …. Awesome as usual out here in San Diego! Kids can’t wait to see the Fireworks at Sea World a few times. Tomorrow is a busy day for ya … Enjoy! Stay safe Sheba♥ …. Happy 4th ALL!

@Sheba, Thank you for keeping Bull in your prayers. It is so heart-breaking to see him in his box all by himself when he used to be surrounded by his brothers and sister. They are all so precious and I’m thankful that I was able to love those sweet little babies. I will always love them and I will never forget them. My darling Cuddles loved being a mommy so I imagine her being their mommy now in Heaven. We will all see each other again. I put Walker’s teddy bear in with him because I know Walker would’ve wanted that because it brought him comfort when he was sick.

I’m sorry about the struggles your family members are having. Cancer is horrible. I lost both my parents to cancer and my paternal grandmother and maternal great grandmother. My younger sister is a cancer survivor. I am sorry you have to see them suffer. Cancer also took my cats Walker and Baby, and Chewey has lymphoma. I cannot wait until a cure is found. My son says they are so close to being able to provide real help, especially in a few types. I can’t say more than that but it is so hopeful. I will keep your family in my prayers.

God Bless America. ♥♥

4 Cherie and Loaf’s Kids. 🙂 Happy 4th and stay safe. ♥