Should we celebrate Independence Day on July 2?

Make every day more interesting. Each day a surprising fact opens a world of fascinating information for you to explore. Did you know that….? ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

HOME    FACTS    ARTICLES

Original photo by MicroStockHub/ iStock The U.S. actually voted for its independence on July 2. On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail of how "[t]he Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. … It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." It seems the founding father felt pretty strongly that July 2 would be recognized as the landmark date of this young nation's founding. So why do Americans celebrate independence two days later? Let's back up to June of 1776, when the Second Continental Congress selected a Committee of Five — Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson — to draft a statement of independence that severed the colonies from British rule. When the Jefferson-penned draft was presented to Congress, only nine of the 13 colonies favored independence. However, the delegates largely fell into line from that point, and on July 2, Congress formally approved the resolution that proclaimed the United States of America as an independent country. Following additional edits, the Declaration of Independence was completed, adopted, and sent for printing on July 4, and on August 2, the rank-and-file delegates began adding their signatures to an engrossed version of the document. According to historian Pauline Maier, the idea of commemorating the anniversary of independence didn't gain any traction in 1777 until it was too late to recognize the date of July 2. However, a pair of notable celebrations popped up on July 4 — fireworks in Boston, a military demonstration and more pyrotechnics in Philadelphia — setting forth an annual tradition that, as Adams otherwise correctly predicted, came to mark "the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."     The Committee of Five's Robert Livingston never signed the Declaration of Independence. The Committee of Five's Robert Livingston never signed the Declaration of Independence.

The final delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence is believed to have been __. The final delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence is believed to have been __. Numbers Don't Lie Number of delegates who signed the Declaration of Independence 56 Grievances cited against the British monarchy in the Declaration 27 Changes made to Thomas Jefferson's original Declaration draft, including by the Committee of Five 86 Pounds of fireworks annually detonated on July 4 285,300,000 Thomas Jefferson drew from similar sources to draft the Declaration of Independence. Faced with a limited time frame to pen the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in June 1776, Jefferson culled ideas from the nearly 100 such documents that had recently been issued throughout the colonies. Among them was the Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason, which featured language strikingly similar to the Jeffersonian assertion that "all men are created equal" and possessed the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Unhappy with the subsequent congressional edits to his writing, which included the excision of a passage that blamed King George III for the proliferation of slavery in the colonies, Jefferson nevertheless took pride in his hastily crafted yet resonant words at a tipping point of American history. As he later wrote in a letter: "This was the object of the Declaration of Independence. Not to find out new principles, or new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before; but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject; in terms so plain and firm, as to command their assent, and to justify ourselves in the independent stand we are compelled to take."   You might also like 6 Facts About Presidential Salaries and How They've Changed Although they're called public servants, Presidents don't take on the job for free. Here are six facts about presidential salaries and how they've changed over time, from the first President to receive a raise to the one who donated his entire salary to charity.

Make Every Day More Interesting. Email Preferences     Unsubscribe     Privacy Policy     Terms of Use Make Every Day More Interesting. Email Preferences     Unsubscribe Privacy Policy     Terms of Use Advertisements: Powered by AdChoices We love to collaborate. To learn more about our sponsorship opportunities, please connect with us here. 1550 Larimer Street, Suite 431, Denver, CO 80202