The True Meaning Behind - Independence Day
On Independence Day, we remember the remarkable event, 242 years
ago this week, that marked a rare turning point in human history — the founding
of a nation on the principle of human freedom.
In July of 1776,
at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, 56 men pledged “their
lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor” to that ideal. The Continental
Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a
new nation, the United States of America, and were no longer part of the
British Empire. The Congress actually voted to declare independence two days
earlier, on July 2.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,”
they wrote: “that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
For more
than two centuries, our nation has continued to be defined by these fundamental
values and principles. They are the essence of American exceptionalism.
In signing
the Declaration of Independence, the delegates to the Continental Congress
showed extraordinary courage and incredible vision. Their ideas went on to form
the model for free peoples and representative governments around the world.
Observance
- In 1777, thirteen gunshots
were fired in salute, once at morning and once again as evening fell, on
July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia
celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find
familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun
salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and
fireworks. Ships in port were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
- In 1778, from his headquarters at Ross
Hall, near New Brunswick, New Jersey,
General George Washington marked July 4 with
a double ration of rum
for his soldiers and an artillery salute (feu de
joie). Across the Atlantic Ocean, Ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for
their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
- In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday.
The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.
- In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court
became the first state legislature to
recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
- In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a
celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was
titled The Psalm of Joy. This is recognized as the first recorded
celebration[clarification needed] and is still
celebrated there today.
- In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day
an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
- In 1938, Congress changed
Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
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