Independence Day is the national holiday of the
United States of America commemorating the signing of the
Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on
July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
At
the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies
under the rule of England's King George III. There was
growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that
had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to
as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did
not have any representation in the English Parliament and
had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the
colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control
any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to
Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental
Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but
were not yet ready to declare war.
 In
April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord
Massachusetts Paul Revere would sound the alarm that "The
British are coming, the British are coming" as he rode his
horse through the late night streets. The battle of
Concord and its "shot heard round the world" would mark
the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for
Independence.
The
following May the colonies again sent delegates to the
Second Continental Congress. For almost a year the
congress tried to work out its differences with England,
again without formally declaring war.
By
June 1776 their efforts had become hopeless and a
committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of
independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee
included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston
and Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write
the first draft which was presented to the congress on
June 28. After various changes a vote was taken late in
the afternoon of July 4th. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in
favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South
Carolina voted No, Delaware undecided and New York
abstained.
To
make it official
John Hancock,
President of the Continental Congress, signed the
Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock
signed his name "with a great flourish" so "King George
can read that without spectacles!."
The
following day copies of the Declaration were distributed.
The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the
Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th the
Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's
Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was
read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the
bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell"
would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after its
inscription -
Proclaim Liberty
Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof.
And
although the signing of the Declaration was not completed
until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the
official anniversary of United States independence. The
first Independence Day celebration took place the
following year - July 4 1777. By the early 1800s the
traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were
established as the way to celebrate America's birthday.
And although fireworks have been banned in most places
because of their danger, most towns and cities usually
have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy. |
