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The United States
celebrates its
Independence Day on July
4.
The Fourth of July,
or Independence Day,
honors the nation's
birthday -- the signing
of the Declaration of
Independence on July 4,
1776. It is a day of
picnics and barbecues,
patriotic parades, and a
night of concerts and
fireworks. The
flying of the American
flag is widespread.
In the words of
Founding Father John
Adams, the holiday would
be “the great
anniversary festival. It
ought to be commemorated
as the day of
deliverance. … It ought
to be solemnized with
pomp and parade, with
shows, games, sports,
guns, bells, bonfires,
and illuminations, from
one end of this
continent to the other,
from this time forward
forever more.”
The history of our
Independence Day
celebration dates back
to the 1770s, when the
original 13 colonies
were still under the
rule of England's King
George III. Although
they had no
representation in
Parliament, they had to
pay tax to England. For
years, Congress sought
unsuccessfully to
resolve the dispute
between England and the
colonies. Finally, in
1776, the Second
Continental Congress
appointed a committee,
headed by Thomas
Jefferson, to draft a
declaration of
independence. On July 4,
1776, Congress
officially adopted the
document declaring their
freedom from England.
Although the signing of
the Declaration was not
complete until August,
the Fourth of July has
been accepted as the
official anniversary of
American independence.
By the early 1800s
the tradition of
parades, picnics and
fireworks was
established as the way
to celebrate America's
birthday. The holiday
was already widely
observed throughout the
nation when Congress
declared it a federal
holiday in 1870.
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The Star Spangled Banner
Composed by
Francis Scott Key in 1814
Performance by
The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band
Congress proclaimed it the U.S.
National Anthem in 1931
Oh, say, can you see, by the
dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous
fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a
nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! |
Links
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Join the Signers the Declaration of Independence - Sign your name to the Declaration of Independence along side our forefathers.
If you had been a
member of the Second Continental Congress in
1776, you were a rebel and considered a traitor
by the King. You knew that a reward had
been posted for the capture of certain prominent
rebel leaders and the largest British armada
ever assembled was just outside New York Harbor.
Affixing your name to the document meant that
you pledged your life, your fortune, and your
sacred honor to the cause of freedom. (The
U.S. National Archives and Records
Administration)
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The Charters of Freedom - View the
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of
the United States, and the Bill of Rights.
(The U.S. National Archives and
Records Administration) |
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Celebrating the Fourth of July
- By Marian I. Doyle. Reprinted courtesy of
Early American Homes Magazine. |
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Using Fireworks Safely - Fireworks safety tips from the National Safety
Council. |
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Music
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It's Our
Flag
(Band of the
U.S. Air
Force
Reserve -
4:21/7.0MB) |
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The Stars
and Stripes
Forever
(The U.S.
Army
Ceremonial
Band -
3:36/3.4MB) |
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The Star
Spangled
Banner -
instrumental
(The U.S.
Army
Ceremonial
Band -
1:18/1.2MB) |
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The Star
Spangled
Banner -
vocals (Band
of the U.S.
Air Force
Reserve -
1:18/2.2MB) |
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America The
Beautiful
(The U.S.
Army Brass
Quintet -
1:51/1.8MB) |
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