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Independence Day, or the 4th of July, commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. Written one year after the start of the American Revolution, the Declaration represented a conscious break from Great Britain. Prior to 1776, most colonists still considered themselves British subjects. However, the Declaration laid out 27 grievances against King George III and ultimately threw off the "tyrannical government" in order to create a new nation.
The copy that resides at the National Archives is considered one of the official copies and was signed on August 2, 1776. While not a legally binding document like the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence affirms the American ideal of equality.
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. Considered a brilliant, young lawyer, he was an ideal candidate to draft the Declaration. He later became the first Secretary of State, the second Vice President, and third President of the United States. Under Jefferson, the United States expanded through the Louisiana Purchase (1803) which was explored by the Lewis and Clark expedition (1803-1806).
Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper publisher and printer, a prominent diplomat, and fierce supporter of American independence. Franklin was appointed as the first Ambassador to France and was integral in securing America's strongest ally during the Revolution. As an inventor, Franklin developed the bifocals and the Franklin stove and discovered that lightening is electricity through his famous kite experiment.
John Adams was a Massachusetts lawyer and diplomat. He was the first Vice President and the second President of the United States. Adams helped negotiate peace with Great Britain through the 1783 Treaty of Paris. As a member of the Federalist party, he was pro-Britain after the end of the American Revolution. He was the father of the sixth U.S. President, John Quincy Adams; the first father-son presidential duo.
Robert R. Livingston was a lawyer and diplomat. In 1777, Livingston became the first Chancellor of New York, the highest judicial office in the state. He held this position until 1801 and was known as the Chancellor for the rest of his life. He administered the first presidential oath to George Washington in New York City in 1789. During the Jefferson Administration, Livingston was the U.S. Minister to France and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase (1803).
Roger Sherman was born in Massachusetts but practiced as a lawyer in Connecticut. Sherman was the only person to sign all four of America's great documents: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. In the debate over the new Constitution, Sherman proposed the Connecticut Compromise which created two chambers of Congress: the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate based on equal representation for each state.
In 1777, Philadelphia celebrated the Fourth of July with red, white, and blue decorations, parades, speeches, music, and fireworks. It became a federally recognized holiday in 1870.
These traditions continue today with fireworks, barbeque, picnics, parades, and patriotic events.
