Added: 01/06/2006 |
Independence Day celebration - national patriotic holidayIn the United States, Independence Day, also called the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday celebrating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.It is commonly associated with parades, barbecues, picnics, baseball games, and various other public and private celebratory events. Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July since 1777. Before speaking about independence day celebration let's find out a few facts about independence day history.
New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 8. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously (12-0), but secretly, for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 2. The Congress reworked the text of the Declaration until a little after eleven o'clock, July 4th, when twelve colonies voted for adoption and released an unsigned copy to the printers. Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8. Not until August 2 would a fair printing be signed by the members of the Congress, but even that was kept secret to protect the members from British reprisal.
Certainly, the vote on July 2 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date on the Declaration itself. Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was first adopted by the vote of the 4th. It was also the first day Philadelphians heard the official news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.
You can see Independence Day celebration everywhere. It is a national holiday marked by patriotic displays. Many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation's heritage and people. Families often mark the Fourth with a picnic or barbecue, and often gather in more distant relatives, taking advantage of the longer weekend or day off from work. Parades are often held the morning of the Fourth, afternoon baseball games are not uncommon, and the evening is usually marked by public displays of independence day fireworks.
In many states, smaller fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alternative to a public show. Concerns about safety have led some states to ban fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed, but illicit traffic brings some of the more powerful firecrackers in from less restrictive border states.
One colorful annual event of Independence Day celebration is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, which supposedly started on July 4, 1916 as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic. The town of Bristol, Rhode Island is noted for having the oldest, continuous Independence Day celebrations in the United States. Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball games are played on Independence Day.
Despite the genesis of Independence Day, it is nearly unheard of for Americans to express anti-British sentiment on the day or to view it as a celebration of anti-colonialism. Rather, contemporary Americans generally perceive the holiday as a celebration of the country itself rather than specifically as a chance to commemorate the end of British rule in the 18th century.
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