To Each Their Own: Independence Day

It may come as a surprise to some that our Independence Day, July 4th, is not a global event. The United States of America is unique in its day of independence from the British. While each of the major countries, and some locales in those countries have fought for and won their own independence, they each individually celebrate their own Independence Day with their own style of celebrations.
As the day the United States claimed its independence from Britain is one of the most important holidays we celebrate as a nation, July 4th has become a day to celebrate with fireworks, food, family and music as we Americans remember the men and women who fought for our freedom. In an effort to insure we could pray where we wanted, make our own money, create and control our own democracy and have many other freedoms that we take for granted everyday, our country’s national Independence Day is one of commemoration as well as celebration.

During the month of January, the countries of Western Samoa, Chad and Australia, just to name a few, celebrate their national Independence Day with huge processions through town while the participants dance and sing with the bands and other forms of entertainment. In February, Grenada, Iran and the Dominican Republic commemorate the heroes that helped to give them the freedoms they now enjoy. March sees the celebrations of Pakistan, Liechtenstein and Ireland’s special day and in following months, Japan, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Mexico, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya all revel in their hard fought, much deserved freedom.

An Independence Day speech is typically made by the President of the United States in America on our Independence Day of July 4th and the streets are flooded with parades, music and fireworks; vendors selling hotdogs and hamburgers, festivals and celebrations. In America, the apple pie is representative of America’s greatest things, along with the popular and well-known sport of baseball. During the month of July, the weather is typically warm and sunny, with random rains and a few thunderstorms. Baseball is in full swing and the boating season has already seen its first full month.

The Independence Day celebrated in the United States is to commemorate the day that The Declaration of Independence was signed in the year 1776. At this time, our forefathers, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman, known as “the committee of five” drafted the Declaration of Independence. Drafted by Jefferson and editing done by Franklin and Adams, the United States Congress officially adopted the document and John Dunlap, who was the official printer to the Congress printed the document on parchment with the title of “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America and was signed by every single member of Congress.

Our Declaration of Independence states that the United States of America and its citizens have certain unalienable rights, and those self-evident truths, such as “the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness” should be extended to all. The most important document in our history, The Declaration of Independence is currently on display in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. and can be viewed in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom museum. In summary, this document outlined certain complaints and injustices that detailed the states’ justification for declaring independence from the Crown of England and no longer considered Britain their mother country. Establishment of their own military and other crucial concepts was immediately acted upon and since this time, many conflicts, and two World Wars have been fought in an effort to continue the United State’s freedoms.
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