Happy Independence Day, USA

July 4 FireworksHappy Birthday, USA. Today the Unites States of America has a Birthday or National Day. Independence Day, is also known as the Fourth of July and it is a federal holiday in the United States. It is the anniversary of the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress.

On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress approved the formal statement explaining its decision to break free from Great Britain and form a new nation. That document is known as the Declaration of Independence. It was prepared by a committee headed by Thomas Jefferson. It was a formal explanation of why the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. The main problem was that the colonists were angry they were being taxed by the British government, and they had no vote or voice in the decisions that affected them. The Declaration of Independence was meant to justify a revolt against the British, with a list of charges against the British king.

Today it’s customary to celebrate the national holiday with red, white, and blue, fireworks and parades, stars and stripes, flags and BBQs.

Hot DogsFun Facts:

The Declaration of Independence was actually a letter to King George that had been written on July 2 by Thomas Jefferson.

The first signature on the Declaration of Independence was John Hancock’s. The myth is that he wrote his name large so that Kind George would be able to read it without his glasses. John Hancock was the only person to actually sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The other 55 signers did not sign it until August 2nd or even later.

Over an estimated 150 million hot dogs will be consumed today. That’s roughly 1 dog for every two people in the U.S.

When the United States became a country, there were approximately 2.5 million people living in the country. Today the population is around 304 million.

The US national anthem is actually set to the tune of an old English drinking song called To Anacreon in Heaven.

Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national animal but was outvoted when John Adams and Thomas Jefferson chose the bald eagle.

Quick Joke:

Q: Do they have a 4th of July in England?

A: Of course they do. That’s how they get from the 3rd to the 5th.

Now that you are here, please grade the US Presidents using a scale from 1 – 10 (10 being the best and 1 being the worst.)

 

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Enjoy Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks TV 2012. The video might not be available in your area or for your device.



1 comment for “Happy Independence Day, USA

  1. July 20, 2015 at 6:03 am

    Happy Birthday USA and glad to live on earth and see you have fun

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