Friend,
Did you know ...
When the initial battles in the Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, most of the colonists did not want independence from Great Britain, and those who did were considered a bunch of radicals.
By June of the following year, however, many more colonists had come to favor independence, thanks to growing hostility against Britain due to publications like "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine which challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the common people of America and was the first work to openly ask for independence from Great Britain.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Here are a few fun facts about Independence Day: - John Adams believed that July 2nd was the correct date on which to celebrate the birth of American independence because that's the day the Continental Congress voted in favor of Lee’s resolution for independence in a near-unanimous vote. The actual written document wasn't ready until the 4th.
- Three U.S. Presidents died on the 4th of July. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826--the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. And James Monroe died on July 4th in 1831.
- Congress authorized fireworks as part of the July 4th celebration on July 4th 1777.
- New York City holds the largest display of pyrotechnics in the nation at the Macy's Spectacular shooting off 75,000 pounds of fireworks.
- Congress made Independence Day an official Federal Holiday in 1941.
- The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia wasn't rung on July 4, 1776 to honor the first reading of the Declaration. The actual date was four days later on July 8.
Click here if you'd like to read the Declaration of Independence.
Happy 4th of July America!
In health,
Kat |
