WASHINGTON — Across the U.S., Americans will pull out all the stops on Tuesday to celebrate the Fourth of July – Independence Day. It's celebrated with showy fireworks, big cookouts and star-spangled parades around the country.
So what's the history behind the holiday? It commemorates the Declaration of Independence, but it took a long time to become the celebration it is today.
Why do we celebrate the Fourth of July?
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence to announce the colonies’ separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain, the Library of Congress says.
The actual vote for independence actually happened two days earlier, History.com says – but July 4 is seen as the "birthday" of American independence.
The Fourth also isn't when the Declaration of Independence was signed. According to the National Archives, delegates began signing the engrossed Declaration of Independence on Aug. 2.
Independence Day celebrations grow
On the first anniversary of the Declaration's adoption, John Adams wrote to his daughter describing last-minute festivities in Philadelphia.
"Yesterday, being the anniversary of American Independence, was celebrated here with a festivity and ceremony becoming the occasion ... The thought of taking any notice of this day, was not conceived, until the second of this month, and it was not mentioned until the third."
Despite its last-minute nature, Adams remarked on the "brilliancy and splendour" of Philadelphia's first Fourth of July celebration.
It's hard to imagine a time before Americans celebrated on the Fourth of July. However, according to the Library of Congress, the celebrations didn't become widespread until after the War of 1812. Celebrations kept growing, becoming what the Library called "the most important secular holiday on the calendar" by the 1870s — a time when even "far-flung communities on the western frontier managed to congregate."
Is the Fourth of July a federal holiday?
Yes — one of the first! In 1870, Congress passed an act establishing Independence Day, New Year’s Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day as holidays in the District of Columbia. According to the Congressional Research Service, these were the first four congressionally designated federal holidays.
Other than the original four, the U.S. government has designated federal holidays for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, George Washington's birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans' Day.
Is July 3, 2023 a federal holiday?
When a federal holiday lands on a weekend, it's often marked on a weekday prior or afterward. This year, the Fourth of July is on a Tuesday, so it isn't the case and Monday is a normal workday for most people. There are some states that have declared July 3rd to be a state holiday this year.