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4th of July
, or Independence Day, is one of the only true, all-American holidays. In the United States, it commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. This national holiday celebrates the United States and is marked by patriotic displays, fireworks, parades, barbecues and picnics and baseball games.
4th of July celebrations usually take place outdoors. Since it is a federal holiday, all non-essential federal institutions are closed and many politicians make it a point on this day to appear at public events to praise the nation's heritage, laws, history, society, and people. Families across the United States celebrate the 4th of July with picnics or barbecues, and long weekends to visit with family and friends. Decorations (outside lights, balloons, streamers, etc.) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag. Parades often are in the morning, with fireworks displays in the evening at town squares, parks or fairgrounds. Most fireworks displays end in a grand finale with a volley of fireworks launched in quick succession, sometimes simultaneously. Some of the most fantastic fireworks displays across the United States are held in New York on the East River, in Chicago on Lake Michigan, in Boston on the Charles River and on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
In 1777, thirteen guns were fired, once in the morning and once again in the evening, on July 4th in Bristol, Rhode Island to celebrate the first anniversary. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary much like today with a 13-gun salute, speeches, music, parades and fireworks.
In 1781, Massachusetts was the first state to officially recognize the Fourth of July. In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held the first celebration of the Fourth of July in the country with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy". The year 1791 marked the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day," and in 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees. In 1941, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
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