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| Fireworks display over the Washington Monument, 1986 (phot courtesy Wikipedia) |
The Fourth of July has become synonymous with a momentous event in United States history - the day independence was declared from England and the absolute monarchy of King George III. It's a day of celebration - of barbecues and parades, of speeches and fireworks - all decked out in red, white and blue.
But, could it be that we have lost track of reality? Could it be that we are celebrating this momentous occasion on the wrong date? Take a trip back in time with the Lost and Found History blog to find out more.
American Independence from Great Britain
On June 7th, 1776, the Continental Congress met at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to discuss the business of the day. The Congress had been meeting since 1774 to discuss matters of colonial governance and this meeting was no different. However, the matter at hand was much more serious, and carried with it potentially grave consequences. For it was here, that the delegate from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee, introduced a motion, known today as the Lee Resolution, which called for the independence of the 13 colonies' from the rule of Great Britain.
The Continental Congress appointed a five member group, including Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), John Adams (Massachusetts), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania) and Robert R. Livingston (New York) to draft a create a formal statement which laid out the reasons for the need to break with Great Britain.
This resolution led to the Declaration of Independence, formally known as The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.
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| The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America (public domain image courtesy of Wikipedia) |
This declaration laid out, in great detail, 27 specific reasons why King George III was a criminal and a tyrant, which gave the colonists no choice but to cut ties with the monarchy. On June 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of the formal declaration of independence from Great Britain. The rest, they say, is history.
So, why, when the Declaration of Independence was voted for on July 2nd is Independence Day celebrated on July 4th?
It's an interesting question. John Adams, part of the five man group who helped to draft the declaration, declared July 2nd to be the day that, to quote him in a letter which he wrote to his wife Abigail,
“will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” a celebration which should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other.”
It seems that it really may have come down to semantics. While the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution on July 2nd, 1776, the formal recognition and adoption of the Declaration of Independence did not happen until two days later, on July 4th.
John Adams and July 4th
It is understood that John Adams never recognized July 4th as the correct day of independence from Great Britain, believing instead that because July 2th was the day it had been voted on, that this was the true day to be celebrated.
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