From Declaration to Celebration: Exploring the Legacy of the 4th of July

July 4, 2024 | by sau1admin

Most of us know July 4th as America's birthday. Today, we will learn why we celebrate this holiday.

The Library of Congress tells us that on July 4th 1776, the Second Continental Congress passed what is known as the Declaration of Independence. This is the document that gave us our freedom from Great Britain. This document tells us how Americans wanted the new country of the United States of America to run. It tells us the mission and vision of the new country and the freedoms Americans hoped to have.

The first July 4th celebration in Philadelphia on July 4th, 1777 was very simple. It celebrated the first year of our freedom. July 4th as we know it today was not celebrated every year until after 1812. Back then, July 4th was celebrated by making our country better by creating new railroads or waterways. It didn't become the holiday it is today until much later. The 4th of July didn't become a federal holiday until June 28th, 1870. Since then, some of favorite ways to celebrate this holiday have been:

• honoring the sacrifice of military service past and present,
• parades,
• fireworks,
• cookouts,
• and more.

On this day, SAU1 would like to take the time to say thank you to military personnel past and present for our freedoms. We appreciate your sacrifice and service. Happy birthday America! Happy Fourth of July from all of us here at SAU1.