Independence Day, more commonly referred to as the Fourth of July is our oldest and most celebrated holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and subsequently winning independence from Great Britain in 1783.
Originally expecting it to be adopted on the 2nd, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on the 3rd,
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
Due to debating and revising some wording, the Declaration of Independence was formally adopted on the 4th and we have celebrated our Independence ever since, pretty much as John Adams expected us to.
