My, oh my, how summer flies! It seems like just yesterday we were (at least I was) grumbling about the cold weather that simply wouldn’t abate. In fact, it was one of the coldest winters and coolest springs on record — Old Man Winter surely overstayed his welcome. Here we are now, however, in the full swing of the warm season with all things summer lying ahead — boating, baseball, BBQ, and, of course, Independence Day.
Many things come to mind when the calendar falls on July 4, chief among them, the red, white, and blue. It’s the day we not only commemorate the 13 colonies’ independence from Great Britain, but to celebrate being American. Across the United States there will be fireworks, ball games, boat parades, and grilled hot dogs. This week, with the holiday in question only days away, I thought it would be a great opportunity to look through history for some fun and interesting Fourth of July facts.
July 4 is set aside to commemorate the birthday of the United States, a summer day in 1776 when the original 13 colonies declared their departure from the British crown by signing the Declaration of Independence. It’s not widely known, however, that the Declaration was not signed on July 4, but simply adopted by the Continental Congress. In fact, most signatures were not collected until August of that year, and the document was not sent to Britain until after each person signed.
The Continental Congress may have adopted the Declaration on July 4, but the actual act of voting for independence came two days earlier on July 2. In fact, founding father John Adams was adamant (pun intended) that Independence Day be celebrated on July 2 instead of July 4. In a letter he penned to his wife, Adams wrote, “The Second Day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” Unfortunately, Adams did not get his wish and was so annoyed that he would not celebrate the day on the Fourth. He even refused invitations to commemorate the event for the rest of his life.
News traveled fast in the old days (likely faster than the mail does today), and it didn’t take long for people in the colonies to learn that their independence had been declared. Loyalists were, of course, dismayed, yet those in favor of the act were so overjoyed that mobs formed, and they took to the streets. On the night of July 4, 1776, citizens of Philadelphia ripped King George III’s coat of arms off the State House door and cast it into a bonfire. In the Bowling Green section of Manhattan on July 9, military personnel and colonists toppled a statue of King George III and melted it into musket balls.
The United States may have been born on July 4, but it would take a few years to win a war against the British and be recognized as an independent nation. With the war won the holiday became “official” with Massachusetts being the first state to declare the day an official state holiday in 1781. It wouldn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.
For years the holiday was commemorated by ringing the Liberty Bell 13 times until the crack, which happened the first time it ever rang in 1752, became too severe. Since then, only descendants of the founding fathers are allowed to “ring” the bell by tapping it 13 times.
Lastly, and in an almost poetic sense, three U.S. presidents, all of whom were founding fathers, died on July 4 — James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. The latter two were once great friends, turned bitter political rivals, and then became great friends once again after their careers in politics were over. On July 3, 1826, Thomas Jefferson, who had been suffering from an intestinal disorder, collapsed and fell into a coma. Later that same day, John Adams fell unconscious in his reading chair. Around 5:30 p.m., on July 3, Adams uttered his last words, “Thomas Jefferson still lives.” The following morning, on the Fourth of July, both men died on America’s 50th birthday. Unfortunately for John Adams, the death may have come two days too late.
