America's Fourth of July Celebration: Facts and Photos

The United States of America will celebrate it's "birthday" today, 4 July 2018.  It is commonly believed that the celebration celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, proclaiming that the American colonies were free of the British crown.  Contrary to that belief, only two Founding Fathers signed the Declaration on July 4, 1776.  This favorite American holiday does not celebrate the signing of the document; it celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the elected Second Continental Congress.

Three men who would become Presidents signed the Declaration: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.

When the Declaration of Independence was signed, the estimated population of the thirteen states was 2.5 million people.  In 2018, the population for the fifty states is 326.8 million people.

The first Fourth of July Celebration, with fireworks and cannon shots, was celebrated in 1777 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1778, General George Washington ordered a double ration of rum for all Continental soldiers on the Fourth of July.  (Below is a painting of the Battle of Monmouth, 28 June 1778)

The Fourth of July was declared a federal holiday in 1870. (Below: lunch camp at Red Buttes, Wyoming Territory on 24 August 1870 by the US Geological & Geophysical Survey unit)

Our 30th President, "Silent" Calvin Coolidge was born on 4 July 1872.  Below is a photo of Silent  Cal with Mother Jones in Pennsylvania, September 1924.

Enjoy your Fourth!

(And remember to keep your pets inside during fireworks displays.)

July Fourth - America's Independence Day

More than 90 different Declarations of Independence were made by by cities and organizations in Great Britain's Thirteen Colonies in North America between April and July first in the year 1776.  However, on 4 July 1776, the Second Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies voted approval of what we Americans now call "the Declaration of Independence" at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia.  This document declared that the colonies regarded themselves as newly independent sovereign states, which were forming a new nation - the United States of America.
   A committee of five people had already drafted the formal declaration, so it would be ready when Congress voted on the issue of independence.  John Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress would edit to produce the final version.  The Declaration was, ultimately, a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on 2 July 1776 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.
   The Revolutionary War in America continued until the 19th of October 1781, when Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown.  By that time, over 217,000 Americans had participated in the war, with 4,435 war fatalities, and 6,188 wounded.  (And more than 8,000 African-Americans had participated as American soldiers.)  The numbers quoted above do not include those who died from disease or starvation.
   America's Revolutionary War formally ended on 3 September 1783, with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.  The preliminary articles of peace were signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens for the United States, and by Richard Oswald for Great Britain on 30 November 1782.  The United States Continental Congress ratified the Treaty early in 1784.

Yesterday and Past Fourths

I hope that all of my other American friends and relatives had a wonderful Independence Day celebration yesterday!  I spent it quietly, running from home to home to home, and tending to a variety of cats, dogs, fish, bees, and chickens - not to mention gardens.  In the middle of the afternoon, I stopped at the supermarket, because I realized that I didn't have any potato chips and I wanted a few with my supper.  I was amazed - there were so many people shopping at 3 in the afternoon; singles and whole families.
  There were two oddly-acting male college students (drunk? high?) almost jogging in the area of the meat and seafood displays.  They were almost, but not quite, yelling about looking for hot dogs - and they used quite a few descriptive terms regarding said hot dogs, that I didn't think small children and older adults wanted to, or should, hear.  So I yelled - "Hey, guys!  Follow me to the luncheon meat aisle, and I'll show you the hot dogs and the brats..."  They were so effusive with their thanks that it was embarrassing - maybe because they had been so obnoxious to begin with?
  Then I really paused when I saw five full, different families standing in line in front of a RedBox DVD kiosk.  Three in the afternoon, on a holiday that's a Friday, and the best these folks can do is rent a movie to watch?  Why not a picnic?  Why not a hike?  Why not a swim?  Why not the Arts festival that had free admission? No one in any of the families looked ill, hurt, injured, or disabled.  (I am very well aware that 50% of disabilities are not visible ones - but this was ridiculous!)  If you didn't do things outside on the Fourth of July when I was growing up, the only excuse was the weather - a lightning storm - or being so ill that you were at home, in your bed, under the covers.
  Our family, and family friends and/or neighbors, that we invited over, wandered in and out of the house, the porch, and the car port - Dad ran the grill, and the charcoal was first fired up at 9 a.m. (this was before fancy propane gas grills) - we had all kinds of cold foods to go with the meat from the grill, as well as plenty of beverages.  Everyone participated in playing games and doing activities - we usually had a game of tag football, played badminton, built teepees for us kids to play in, and we played games - word games, card games, and memory games.  We told wild and crazy stories - sometimes one person started the tale, and then each person sitting there, listening, joined in with their part of the story. The stories could be very funny, or adventurous, or full of family love…  We didn't sit around a TV and watch it as if our lives depended upon it….
   Today, I have taken care of three homes and all the resident critters, plus I took my friend Beatrice in to her job.   I played with and loved on my kits, and I went in search of freeze-dried bison and turkey to feed to Boo - she ate a little of both kinds I provided…  Plus I ordered a pound of freeze-dried turkey hearts to be delivered to Boo's home.  I hope she continues to want to eat them!

Independence Day

On 2 July 1776, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia voted to declare the 13 colonies' independence from Great Britain.  A party of five, headed by Thomas Jefferson, was drafted to compose this declaration.  After many revisions, that Declaration of Independence was approved by a majority vote on 4 July.  The last signature was applied to the Declaration in August of that year.  But we citizens of the United States of America celebrate our "Independence Day" every July Fourth.  The size of our country has grown exponentially since the Founding Fathers decided to declare their independence from the government of another country across the sea, and yet, we are all "Proud Americans."  Happy Birthday, USA!
   The body of missing hiker Randy Udall was found yesterday in Wyoming.  The body was on its side, and still had his hands clasping walking poles.  An autopsy will be performed, but it is being assumed that the death was from natural causes.  The Udall family issued a statement saying that "...Randy died doing what he loved best, hiking in the Rocky Mountains."
   And the Colorado wildfires are still burning... the West Fork Complex fire has grown to 97,823 acres and is 7% contained......

Happy Fourth of July

In 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of declaring the 13 colonies independent from Great Britain.  That was on July second.  But the public was presented with a printed "Declaration of Independence" on July 4 - which is why we celebrate on this date.  I am very proud to live in the United States of America, and am happy that a lot of my forebears have defended this country - both before and after our declared independence.
   Today is warm and hazy. No new fires in Colorado that I know of.  Yesterday I "explored" by driving up Magnolia Drive from Boulder Canyon to Nederland.  It was breath-takingly beautiful.  This morning, I treated myself by driving up Lee Hill Road, onto the Olde Stage Road, and then up Lefthand Canyon to the village of Ward.  Again, some of the views took my breath away.  It felt right, looking at local areas that I had never seen before, as a celebration on our Independence Day...

View from Olde Stage Road, looking east (Boulder,CO)