This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s an important historical birthday for the United States, and we will be celebrating it all year-round with our new Free to Be series. With respect to Marlo Thomas, our Free to Be posts will be celebrating unique freedoms we enjoy as Americans. And this month, we’re looking at how we’re free to celebrate.
Every year on the 4th of July, Berryville celebrates by hosting a stunning fireworks show on Saunders Heights called Fire on the Mountain. This year, you can watch the festivities from the Carroll County Fairgrounds, where the Junior Fair Board will be hosting a 250th Birthday Party for the US, with games, vendors, a truck show, and all sorts of fun activities.
And of course, towns and cities all across the country will be hosting similar events. But did you know that this tradition of celebrating Independence Day goes all the way back to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed?
Technically, the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, but Jefferson had to put some finishing touches on the Declaration of Independence before its adoption two days later. It was then not publicly read until July 8, which sparked parades and celebratory bonfires in its own right.
On July 9, when George Washington had the Declaration of Independence read to his soldiers, then stationed in New York City, they celebrated raucously. Eyewitnesses said the event was “received by three huzzahs by the troops.” One group of soldiers and civilians partied even harder, marching down Broadway to decapitate a statue of George III and parade around with the head.
The following year, to mark the first anniversary, Philadelphia celebrated the Fourth. In the midst of the Revolutionary War, they fired naval cannons, rang bells, and, yes, shot off fireworks. Boston also celebrated that same year with fireworks.
Celebrations of July 4 continued annually and became even more widespread following the War of 1812.
However, not all the Founding Fathers necessarily agreed with marking the occasion on the Fourth. John Adams initially felt strongly that the true anniversary was July 2, when he and the other Founding Fathers voted for independence. He even wrote to his wife afterward that he firmly believed July 2nd would be forevermore celebrated with, among other things, parades and “illuminations.”
Ironically, on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—Adams and Jefferson both passed away. By then, Adams had come around to the 4th over the 2nd. Upon being told what day it was, he told those gathered around his deathbed, “It is a great day. It is a good day.”
As for Jefferson, the significance of the day was also on his mind in his final hours. Eyewitnesses disputed the exact wording, but multiple people, including his doctor, said he either asked “Is it the Fourth?” or “This is the Fourth?”
A couple of weeks earlier, in the last letter he ever wrote, Jefferson declined an invitation to celebrations of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the capital due to his failing health. Still, he wrote, “For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.”
At the Berryville Library, 250 years after our nation’s founding, we’ve been celebrating the Semiquincentennial all year long with our Free to Be series. As with other county offices, we will be closed on the 3rd and the 4th to celebrate.
Before then, we can help you with your own celebration, whether you’re looking for books to better learn about the American Revolution or American history in general or you’re looking for a cookbook with the perfect recipe for your Independence Day barbecue.
Thank you, America, and Happy 250th Birthday! It is a good time for a great celebration!
The following articles were very helpful in preparing this post:
“The Earliest July 4 Celebrations.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/the-earliest-july-4-celebrations
“The History of America’s Independence Day.” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/a-capitol-fourth/history/history-independence-day/
Russell L. Martin. “Jefferson’s Last Words.” Monticello. June 7, 1988. https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/jeffersons-last-words
What’s your favorite way to celebrate Independence Day? What other days are you glad you are free to celebrate? Tell us in the comments!
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