Figure 1.--These American boys look to be enjoying themselves in wide-brimmed sailor hats and tunic suits in the 1900s. A few years earlier they would have been wearing long stockings, even during the summer.

The Fourth of July or Independence Day is the quinicensial American holiday. Set near the beginning of the summer, it is one of the holiday that boys freed of school have traditinally looked forward to. The big attraction were parades, picnics, and of course fire works. It was also an occasion that boys did not have to dress up for, unless of course, they were in the parade.

The Holiday

Historical background

Happy birthday America. Independence Day celebrates the birthday of the United States of America. Founded July 4th 1776, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, America in 199 is celebrating it's 223nd birthday. Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.

In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts Paul Revere would sound the alarm tg>The following day copies of the Declaration were distributed. The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th the Declaration had it's first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after it's inscription - Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof

And although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence. The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year - July 4, 1777.

The celebrations

By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday. And although fireworks have been banned in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy.

The Fourth of July is a time for the Red White and Blue. A time for picnics, parades and marching bands. A time for beaches, BBQs and "Bombs Bursting in Air."

Each year at this time, Americans from the Aleutians to the Keys prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, the birthday of our great country - the United States of America. On July 4, 1776, we declared our Independence from England. That day saw the beginning of a journey that's brought us through struggles and adversity to become the proud and strong nation we are today. On the Fourth of July we remember who we are, where we've come from and what we've accomplished as a people.

The Fourth of July is a time for the Red White and Blue. A time for picnics, parades and marching bands. A time for beaches, BBQs and "Bombs Bursting in Air."

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the great historical documents of human history. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosopy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies andthe mother country. We invite you to read a transcription of the complete text of the Declaration. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen Uited States of America,

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Clothing Styles

As the fourth of July is a summer holliday, light comfortable clothing has been worn. Of course the clothses worn before the 1920s often looked heavy and dressy to modern eyes.

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Created: May 1, 1999
Last updated: August 12, 1999