So what did happen on July 4, 1776?
|
Posted By: EMOJI GALAXY on June 13, 2025 The Story of the Fourth of July The Declaration of Independence We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. But July 4, 1776 wasn't the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776). It wasn’t the day we started the American Revolution either (that had happened back in April 1775). And it wasn't the day Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence (that was in June 1776). Or the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didn't happen until November 1776). Or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776). So what did happen on July 4, 1776? The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. They'd been working on it for a couple of days after the draft was submitted on July 2nd and finally agreed on all of the edits and changes. July 4, 1776, became the date that was included on the Declaration of Independence, and the fancy handwritten copy that was signed in August (the copy now displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.) It’s also the date that was printed on the Dunlap Broadsides, the original printed copies of the Declaration that were circulated throughout the new nation. So when people thought of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 was the date they remembered. In contrast, we celebrate Constitution Day on September 17th of each year, the anniversary of the date the Constitution was signed, not the anniversary of the date it was approved. If we’d followed this same approach for the Declaration of Independence we’d being celebrating Independence Day on August 2nd of each year, the day the Declaration of Independence was signed! How did the Fourth of July become a national holiday? For the first 15 or 20 years after the Declaration was written, people didn’t celebrate it much on any date. It was too new and too much else was happening in the young nation. By the 1790s, a time of bitter partisan conflicts, the Declaration had become controversial. One party, the Democratic-Republicans, admired Jefferson and the Declaration. But the other party, the Federalists, thought the Declaration was too French and too anti-British, which went against their current policies. By 1817, John Adams complained in a letter that America seemed uninterested in its past. But that would soon change. After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to come apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the Democratic-Republicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. The deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826, may even have helped to promote the idea of July 4 as an important date to be celebrated. Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years went on and in 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Further legislation about national holidays, including July 4, was passed in 1939 and 1941. https://www.constitutionfacts.com/ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
 |
EMOJI GALAXY
Website Development Administrator , Yes Paul Quinn College class of Member Since January 2011 |
Comments
More From This Author
Latest News
 |
Travel: Beyond the Taj Mahal, unveiling the real India
India is a highly enigmatic nation, the cradle of the oldest civilization, the birthplace of Buddhism and Hinduism, and a hub for trade. For generations, Indians have engaged in some startling c ...more
Joel Savage • 37 Views • July 17th, 2025 |
 |
Rust College Announces Dr. Johnny M. Moore as 13th PresidentRust College is pleased to announce Dr. Johnny M. Moore as the 13th president in the institution's nearly 160-year history.
An Arkansas native, HBCU graduate, and mathematics professor, Dr. Moore ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 88 Views • July 14th, 2025 |
 |
eHBCU Reflects On In-Person Launch at 2025 ESSENCE FestivalFollowing its national debut, eHBCU.edu— the first-ever digital platform designed to expand the reach and impact of HBCUs — commemorated its official in-person launch at the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of C ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 97 Views • July 11th, 2025 |
 |
Announcing the 2025-2026 ASCEND Leadership Development Program ScholarsThe American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) proudly announces the sixth cohort of its ASCEND Leadership Development Program, a transformative initiative designed ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 92 Views • July 11th, 2025 |
 |
The Italian men’s elegance fashion code: The power of blue jeans & brown shoesThe combination of blue jeans and brown shoes is amazing and attractive.
It is often said, if you go to Rome, you should follow what the Romans do. I don’t doubt this statement because, in addi ...more
Joel Savage • 55 Views • July 11th, 2025 |
Popular News
 |
North Carolina HBCU Unity DayShaw University - Elizabeth City State University - Johnson C. Smith University - Fayetteville State University - Livingstone College - North Carolina A&T State University - North Carolina Central Uni ...more
Reginald Culpepper • 97,185 Views • August 8th, 2016 |
