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 of the Declaration of Independence, the United States consisted of 13 colonies which, at that time, were 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" because 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 it's "shot heard round the world" marked the unofficial beginning of the Colonial 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 it's 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 was undecided, and New York abstained. To make it officia,l John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock's 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 it's first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice on that day, the Declaration was read to cheering crowds with the accompaniment of pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after it's inscription - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof".
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.
Fireworks have been banned in many states without a special permit because of their danger, but most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy. Missouri still allows the manufacture, sale, and displays of fireworks; so we are fortunate in that we are still allowed the freedom to set off our own fireworks displays. Believe me, the display set off from the top of our mountain are indeed a site to behold and can be seen for miles around.
11/20/04-updated 1/4/05