Us independence day

The document signed more than 200 years ago declaring the United States’ independence from Britain contained within it inherent contradictions. While the Declaration of Independence declared “that all men are created equal,” endowed with the right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” the laws that followed did not apply to Black or Native Americans, nor women. Leaders often speak about the United States as a “melting pot,” built by immigrants from all over the world, but the country has not always been welcoming to newcomers, either. This Fourth of July, Americans are grappling with a global pandemic and an intense period of political and social unrest, driven by calls to reform policing and address systemic racism that dates back to the country’s founding. While some people see the holiday as a chance to celebrate democracy — or “the greatest political experiment ever tried” — others are questioning what it means to be patriotic, and whether the country is fulfilling the promise of its founding for everyone. Sixty-two percent of Americans who responded to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll Some respondents to a NewsHour callout said it was a positive reminder of “the potential to change, the hope that someday we will live up to our national values.” To many, the Independence Day holiday simply means a day off of work, fireworks, and barbecues. But it’s clear that many are thinking more deeply about the holiday this year. Below, readers reflect on what July Fourth me...

• • Pop-out player The United States celebrates its Independence Day on July 4. John Adams, who later became America’s second president, wrote to his wife in 1776 that the day would be remembered with fireworks and celebrations “from one End of this Continent to the other.” But the day he was talking about was July 2, 1776, not July 4. July 2 is the day the Continental Congress of the original 13 colonies voted for independence from Britain. Congress did not officially sign the Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, until two days later. First July 4 celebration Pauline Maier was a historian who wrote the 1997 book American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence. She wrote that in early July of 1777, members of the Continental Congress nearly forgot that it had been a year since they declared their freedom from the British. They remembered on July 3. It was too late to celebrate on July 2. So, they decided to mark the country’s independence with a celebration the following day: July 4. The Pennsylvania Evening Post of Philadelphia At night, the Post said, “There was a grand exhibition of fireworks…and the city was beautifully illuminated.” FILE - With the New York City skyline in the background fireworks explode during an Independence Day show over the East River in New York, in this Tuesday, July 4, 2017, file photo. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File) Becoming official holiday The tradition of celebrating Independence Day started to expan...

USA TODAY Americans across the country are set to celebrate July 4 this weekend with parades, barbeques andred, white and blue gear. In the nation’s capital, President Joe Biden is set to But why does the United States commemorate July 4 specifically, since the Declaration of Independence actually was signed later? When did Americans start observing the patriotic holiday, and why do we set off fireworks? Here’s what you need to knowaboutIndependence Day: What do we celebrate on July 4? July 4, also known as Independence Day, marks the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Congress,made up of delegates from theUnited States’original 13 colonies,unanimously approved the documentthatdeclaredindependence fromGreat Britain. Barbara Clark Smith, acurator of political history at the National Museum of American History, told USA TODAY that it was an “extraordinary achievement for these colonists to get together” toadopt the founding declaration. “They did find a way to put differences aside andjoin togetherto work for acommon goal,” she added. “While declaring independence, they also declared interdependence.” Fun fact: The Continental Congress didn’tvotefor independence on just July 4. Another fun fact: Many of the original signersdidn’t inktheir names onthe Declaration of Independenceuntil Aug.2, 1776. Traveling for the Fourth of July?: What were the firstIndependence Day celebrations? Some Americans began ce...

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Although Americans have long celebrated Independence Day on July 4, technically that is not when the colonies voted to become a new nation. That honor belongs to July 2, 1776, which was not only the day the Second Continental Congress approved a resolution declaring independence from Britain but also the day that then future President John Adams wrote would be “celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” with “pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.” So, what happened? In a word, paperwork. According to Philip Mead, chief historian at the Museum of the American Revolution, it took two days for the Continental Congress to approve the final version of what was essentially a press release explaining why the delegates had voted the way they did. That document–better known as the Declaration of Independence–arrived at the printer on July 4, 1776, which is why that date appears at the top. Moreover, most of the delegates signed it on Aug. 2, not on July 4, as implied by the John Trumbull painting that hangs in the Rotunda of the Capitol (“Congress at the Independence Hall, Philadelphia, July 4, 1776”). But though Adams might have been surprised to see Americans fete the Fourth of July, he did play a part in the shift: when he and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826, that date became even more enshrined in American memory. More Must-Reads From TIME • • Why Job Hunting...