4th of July

In all the festivity associated with the Washington DC Fourth of July celebrations, Americans sometimes forget the history surrounding the date. The fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence this nation's official certificate of birth. Some would argue that this country was founded in 1492 when Christopher Columbus sailed the Ocean blue; however, the American spirit of freedom was not unleashed until the colonists officially won the war against British control of our land and government in 1776.

Prior to winning our freedom, American colonists mounted numerous uprisings against the British. According to researcher Kenneth Davis, as early as 1676, a man named Nathaniel Bacon wrote the "Declaration of the People." This document criticized the British for levying unfair taxes, placing favorites in high positions and not protecting the western farmers from Indians. Bacon also led a troop of poor farmers, slaves and free blacks in a skirmish against the English. Reportedly this rebellion was only one of many attempts to overthrow the British rule in the colonies. The major victories came later when the colonies united against British taxation without representation (Davis,1991).

The British required the American colonists to pay taxes on imported English products such as sugar, coffee, and wines, even though the colonists were not given voting privileges in the British parliament. The Americans protested the taxes; however, the British continued to mandate payment on all goods. In 1765, the English imposed taxes on every kind of printed material from newspapers to playing cards. When the Americans boycotted, the British sent in troops. What ensued was the Boston massacre. The first to die was Crispus Attucks, a black American.

The Boston massacre marked the beginning of the end of British rule. In 1773, the colonists decided that the British would not monopolize and tax the sale of any one item ,such as tea. On the night of December 16th, men from all ranks of society clandestinely boarded three ,tea-filled Royal Navy ships and dumped cases and cases of tea into the harbor. Shortly thereafter, the Revolutionary war began. Blacks as well as whites ,women along with men fought for the right to life free of the English government.

The victory over England was deemed a glorious occasion worthy of an annual celebration. John Adams, one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence said, "I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance; it ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more (Sechrist, 1984).

Until the 1900's, the firing of guns and cannons were traditionally used to commemorate the fourth. However, the firing of weapons caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries, and people pleaded for a "safe and sane fourth." Ordinances were passed prohibiting weapons and the sale and use of fireworks during the fourth. To counter the attention on the fireworks, many communities stressed the patriotism of the holiday, and they still do so today (Sechrist, 1984). July 4th is the politically correct time to see and be seen in red, white and blue. The date is our birth date. Happy Birthday America!

Fourth of July Event Calendar

Looking for somewhere to celebrate your independence besides down on the Mall in Washington DC? Find out where all the happy hours, concerts, fairs, parties, and other great events in the Washington DC area by visiting our Fourth of July Events Calendar. Click on a date below and you will be taken to event listings for that day.

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Why the Fourth?

Though the Fourth of July is iconic to Americans, some claim the date itself is somewhat arbitrary. New Englanders had been fighting Britain since April 1775. The first motion in the Continental Congress for independence was made on June 4, 1776. After hard debate, the Congress voted unanimously (discounting New York's courteous abstention), but secretly, for independence from Great Britain on July 2 (the Lee Resolution) and appointed Thomas Jefferson to write a draft. The Congress reworked the draft until a little after eleven o’clock, July 4, when twelve colonies voted for adoption (New York again courteously abstaining) and released a copy to the printers signed only by John Hancock, President of the Congress, and Secretary Charles Thomson. Philadelphia celebrated the Declaration with public readings and bonfires on July 8. Not until August 2 would a fair printing be signed by the members of the Congress, but even that was kept secret to protect the members from possible British reprisals.

John Adams, credited by Thomas Jefferson as the unofficial, tireless whip of the independence-minded, wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776:

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

Adams was off by two days, however. Certainly, the vote on July 2 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date that Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was officially adopted and was the first day Philadelphians heard any concrete news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.

Observance

- In 1777, thirteen guns were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
- In 1778, General George Washington marked the Fourth of July with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. 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, Massachusetts was the first legislature to 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".
- In 1791 was the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day".
- 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. The residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrated the Fourth of July for the first time since July 4, 1863, when the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Union victory during the American Civil War.