Independence Day

On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress and Charles Thomson, secretary signed the handwritten document and it was sent to the printer. Beginning on August 2, the remaining delegates started to sign the document. Several did not sign because they were not in town and due to illness.

Two events led to the forming of the Continental Army and the steps toward independence from England. The first was the Boston Tea Party. King George III of England levied a tax on tea sold to the colonies because the company owned by England was losing money. In response to the tax, Samuel Adams and some other Bostonians dressed up as Indians and threw a cargo of tea into the Massachusetts Bay.

King George did not lift the tax. The colonists thought the British soldiers were watching them and threw stones at them. The soldiers fired into the crowd and killed some of the people. The colonists called it a massacre.

The First Continental Congress was the first step towards independence. It was headed by the Virginia colonists who drew up a list of grievances against England. This was the first draft of what would become the Declaration of Independence. George Washington became head of the Continental Army and started fighting the British in Massachusetts. The Revolutionary War was fought for eight years.

The document which became the Declaration of Independence was initially drafted by Thomas Jefferson with comments from other delegates and revisions until the final draft was completed.

Independence Day was made an official holiday in 1783. Congress declared it as a federal holiday in 1941. Every state in the Union celebrates Independence Day. It is a day for family cook-outs and fireworks. Cities across the United States have parades and fireworks.

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