July 4th has always been a day full of surprises, hope, and expectations. John Adams loved the Fourth of July and declared it a public holiday, although USA got its independence from Britain on July 2nd. From 1776 up to date, Fourth of July has been a day of celebration, which includes a number of activities like music, sports, fireworks, and many more. One of the fascinating facts about this day is that within the first five presidents of America, three died on this date. Fourth of July was not a legal civic holiday until 1941 when Congress declared it officially. This day does not only mark America’s birthday but Denmark also celebrates on this day. This was also the day when thousands of Danes arrived in America back in 1912. Get to know these top 10 facts about 4th of July among the citizens of America and the essence of this day’s event to them.

1. Official Declaration

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The official declaration of independence was signed in 1776. The main intention of this was to justify a rebellion against the British. After the declaration, some charges were raised against the British king. After the long struggle, the 13 colonies embarked on their road to freedom. Being ruled by Britain without representation on taxation led to the objection by the colonists. After a year of trying to resolve their issues, the colonies sent their representatives to the second continental congress. When they admitted that their efforts were hopeless, a committee was formed immediately to come up with formal declaration of independence.

2. The First Flag

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The first flag of the United States was designed and sewn by Betsy Ross in May or June 1776. The sewing of the flag was commissioned by the congressional committee. The first independence day of America was first celebrated on 8th of July 1776 in Philadelphia. A liberty bell was sounded from the tower, inviting all the citizens to come together for the first public reading. After the people came to the Independence Hall, Colonel John Nixon read the Official Declaration of Independence. This day had marked adoption of the declaration of independence by the US. It was earlier adopted by the congress, but then revised, and the final adoption was implemented two days later.

3. The National Flag

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In order to promote national unity and pride, the Continental Congress adopted the national flag on 14th June 1777. Other countries like France, Poland, Greece, and many more used the Declaration of Independence as a beacon in their own fight for freedom. It became necessary for one person to resolve the political bands between Britain and America. By breaking the ties between the two nations, it led to the USA becoming independent, having their own powers.

4. The Declaration

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The declaration was signed by 56 men who were from the 13 colonies. The signing marked the beginning of the peace process with the British. History shows that the American Revolutionary War started in 1775. After two years of declaration, Boston officials from America refused to return three ships loaded with tea and had been taxed to Britain. This made the colonist to be furious, fueling them to dump the tea into the port, which was later known as the Boston Tea Party.

5. The First Public Celebration

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The first public celebration of 4th of July occurred in the White House in 1804. This day was the most miserable day for the horses since they were used for various activities. The first Independence Day celebration took place on the west of Mississippi where it was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805 at Independence Creek. Thomas Jefferson on 24th of June 1826 sent a letter inviting Roger C. Weightman to come to Washington D.C and help him celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence. Unfortunately, this was the last letter that Jefferson ever wrote since he was very ill.

6. The Official Date of Signing

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One of the patriotic songs of America was just sung proceeding to revolution of the military officers from Britain who were irritated by the buckskin wearing. Shockingly, the 56 men who signed the declaration of independence did not sign all at the same time. Not only that, but at the same time, the signing did not take place on 4th of July, instead it was done on the 2nd of August in the same year. The names of the signees were not published for the public to see, until six months later. This was to protect them so that in case the independence had not been achieved, they will not be pushed to treason. In January 1777, Thomas McKean was the last to sign.

7. The Poem & National Anthem of the U.S.

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In the year 1814, Francis Scott wrote a poem, which he was streaming from observation, on how the British had several times attacked Baltimore during the war in 1812. The poem was later put to music and declared as the United States national anthem until 1931. In 1812, the name Uncle Sam began, as Samuel Wilson, who was a meat packer, supplied meat to the army. The meat had a stamp with the initials US and someone jokingly said it stood for Uncle Sam. After some period of time, this idea led to the symbolization of the United States Government.

8. Historical Date

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This 4th of July also marks the day of death, since three US presidents have died on this particular date. And what makes it more interesting is that two of them passed away, just within some few hours of each other. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on July 4th 1826, the two had been political rivals for some time but became friends later on. The other president who died on the same date was James Monroe who died on 1831.

9. First Independence Day Celebration

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Colonists would hold annual celebrations to honor the birthday of their king, but after 1776, they changed and started to celebrate independence. Massachusetts became the first state in the US to hold an official state holiday in 1781.

10. The Official Declaration as a Public Holiday

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The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to print about the Declaration of Independence on July 6th, 1776. On the 4th of July, 1941, Congress declared this day a public holiday. It became one of the very few federal holidays that had not been moved to either Monday or Friday. By the year 1776, around 2.5 million people were living in the newly independent United States. Statistics from the US Censure Bureau showed that 311.7 million Americans celebrate their independence annually.