Without them, there would have been no United States of America. The Founding Fathers, a group of predominantly wealthy plantation owners and businessmen, united 13 disparate colonies, fought for independence from Britain and penned a series of influential governing documents When armed conflict between bands of American colonists and British soldiers began in April , the Americans were ostensibly fighting only A member of a committee of five that also included John Adams of Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.
Memorial Day will occur on Monday, May Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil Labor Day will occur on Monday, September 6.
Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers and is traditionally observed on the first Monday in September. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal He died after a gruesome bit of self-surgery. Veterans Day is a U.
In , on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the On February 4, , electors chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States. Previously, states had governed much like independent Written by Massachusetts delegate John Adams , it outlined the purpose and reasons the Congress would draft a formal document to assert independence.
Even as the debates raged, the Congress appointed five delegates to draft a declaration:. They created a basic outline together and assigned the writing of the document to Jefferson. His declaration was presented to the Congress on June 28th, debated and edited over the next few days, and a second draft agreed upon on July 1st.
A vote taken that day was not unanimous, but the following day the declaration twelve of the thirteen colonies voted to ratify the Declaration of Independence New York had to abstain as their Provincial Congress had told their delegates to hold on voting until they themselves could debate it.
On July 4th the final draft received approval and was announced to the nation. Though there is some historical debate as to whether or not all the delegates signed it that day, there is no doubt that all did so by August 2nd. Regardless of that formal detail, the United States of America had become independent.
On paper, at least. Over six more years of war and hardship lay between Independence Day and the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3rd, But in her own eyes, America was a nation on July 4th, The 4th of July is, in the simplest sense, the birthday of our country.
It was the day we, after long years of struggle and months of debate, the duly elected representatives of the original Thirteen Colonies announced to the world that they had formed a new nation. From the start, the 4th of July was widely celebrated across the US. On its very first anniversary, in , ceremonies from Rhode Island to Virginia included gun salutes, fireworks, and plenty of red, white, and blue bunting. In , General George Washington honored the occasion by providing his men with a double ration of rum.
Bristol, Rhode Island held the first official parade in Before the American Revolution , colonists held birthday celebrations for the king of England, which included bonfires, parades, speeches, and the ringing of bells. However, during the summer of , many towns celebrated their new independence by creating a type of mock funeral for the king.
His death symbolized the end of a monarchy and the beginning of democracy in the new nation. The first annual celebration for July 4th was held in Philadelphia in Towns across the country celebrated in their own ways, but most celebrations included bonfires, parades, canon or musket fire, and lots of public speeches. The tradition of fireworks on the 4th of July came from the celebration in Philadelphia.
A ship fired a gun salute to honor the 13 colonies, and the Sons of Liberty set off fireworks over Boston Common. Though many cities celebrated Independence Day at the time, Massachusetts was the first state to actually designate the 4th of July as a holiday, which happened in In , the United States Congress made the 4th of July a federal holiday. Many 4th of July traditions today came from those first celebrations in Early 4th of July traditions included public gatherings where participants celebrated their hard-fought independence by ringing bells in revelry, building bonfires, lighting fireworks, and firing canons.
It was a time to remind people of their rights and freedoms.
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