US Independence Day: Know history, significance and more about Fourth of July celebrations

This year the Fourth of July - also known as Independence Day or July 4th - will mark the 245th anniversary of the founding of the US. July 4 marks the date in 1776 when the Second Continental Congress finally approved the US Declaration of Independence, marking the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from British colonial rule. The day is marked with festivities, ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts or more casual family gatherings and barbecues. 

US Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favour of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, firework display has been taking place across the country, with largest of such displays being taken place in New York, where more than 22 tons of pyrotechnics were held in the East River in 2009. 

Significance of fireworks

The grand display of fireworks may just seem like just another form of outdoor celebration, however, the tradition holds a particular significance in the day's history. It was on July 3, 1775, that John Adams, one of the Founding Fathers of the Nation, wrote to his wife Abigail Adams that July 4 should be commemorated “with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more”. He had set the tone for the Fourth of July celebrations even before the Declaration of Independence was even signed. 

But it wasn’t until a year later that the first formal display of fireworks was set off. In 1977, the night sky in Philadelphia was illuminated with a “grand exhibition” of fireworks. That same year,  fireworks also lit up the sky in Boston, where they were exhibited by Col. Thomas Crafts over the common. A 13-gunshot salute was also held in Bristol, Rhode Island, once in the morning and then again in the evening, setting the tradition for years since. By 1783 a large variety of fireworks were available to the public. In 1784 one merchant reportedly offered a range of pyrotechnics that included “rockets, serpents, wheels, table rockets, cherry trees, fountains, and sunflowers”. 

The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the US again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the US Congress then made July 4th a federal holiday and in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees. Now, the Fourth of July has become a major focus of leisure activities and a common occasion for family get-togethers, often involving fireworks and outdoor barbecues. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag, and a common musical accompaniment is “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.

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