Independence Day (United States)

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Independence Day (United States)

In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday

Federal holiday

In the United States, a federal holiday is a public holiday recognized by the Government of the United States. Non-essential federal government offices are closed....
commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence

United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain

Kingdom of Great Britain

The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a country in North-West Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801....
. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks

Fireworks

A firework is classified as a low explosive material pyrotechnics device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display....
, parade

Parade

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float or sometimes large balloons....
s, barbecue

Barbecue

Barbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking food, often meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal and may include application of a marinade, spice rub, or Basting barbecue sauce to the meat....
s, carnival

Carnival

Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during January and February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus , masque and public street party....
s, picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance, and usually in Summer....
s, concert

Concert

A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. The music may be performed by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band....
s, baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

ng the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress

Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that met beginning in May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after shooting in the American Revolutionary War had begun....
voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee

Richard Henry Lee

Richard Henry Lee was an United States statesman from Virginia best known for the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain....
of Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Independence Day (United States)'

Start a new discussion about 'Independence Day (United States)'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

In the United States

United States

Federal holiday

United States Declaration of Independence

Kingdom of Great Britain

Fireworks

Parade

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float or sometimes large balloons....
s, barbecue

Barbecue

Carnival

Picnic

Concert

Baseball

Background

During the American Revolution

American Revolution

Second Continental Congress

Richard Henry Lee

Virginia

United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the Thirteen Colonies then at war with Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire....
, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a committee

Committee of Five

The Committee of Five was the Committee delegated by the Second Continental Congress on June 11, 1776, to draft the United States United States Declaration of Independence....
but with Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence , and one of the most influential Founding Fathers of the United States for his promotion of the ideals of republicanism in the United States....
as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams

John Adams

John Adams was an Politics of the United States and the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States , after being the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States for two terms....
had written to his wife Abigail

Abigail Adams

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth. She was the first Second Lady of the United States and the second First Lady of the United States although the terms were not coined until after her death....
:

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.

Adams' prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The myth had become so firmly established that, decades after the event and nearing the end of their lives, even the elderly Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had come to believe that they and the other delegates had signed the Declaration on the fourth. Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776. In a remarkable series of coincidences, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, two founding fathers

Founding Fathers of the United States

The Founding Fathers of the United States were the political leaders who signed the United States Declaration of Independence or otherwise participated in the American Revolution as leaders of the Patriot s, or who participated in drafting the United States Constitution eleven years later....
of the United States and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the United States' 50th anniversary. President James Monroe

James Monroe

James Monroe was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . His administration was marked by the acquisition of Florida ; the Missouri Compromise , in which Missouri was declared a slave state; the admission of Maine in 1820 as a free state; and the profession of the Monroe Doctrine , declaring U.S....
died exactly five years later, on July 4, 1831, but he was not a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.

Observance

In 1777, thirteen gun
Cannon

A cannon is any tubular piece of artillery, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance....
s were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is a New England town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,469 at the United States Census, 2000....
. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
In 1778, General George Washington
George Washington

George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States of Americas ....
marked July 4 with a double ration of rum
Rûm

R?m, also Roum or Rhum , is a very indefinite term used at different times in the Muslim world to refer to the Balkans and Anatolia generally, and for the Byzantine Empire in particular, for the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m in Asia Minor, and for Greeks inhabiting Ottoman Empire or modern Turkey territory as well as for Greek Cypriots....
for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.
In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.
In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the State legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonialism Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases....
became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy".
In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress
United States Congress

The United States Congress is the Bicameralism legislature of the Federal government of the United States of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives....
made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
In 1931, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday. The residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi

Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, Mississippi, United States. It is located 234 miles north by west of New Orleans, Louisiana on the Mississippi River and Yazoo River rivers, and 40 miles due west of Jackson, Mississippi, the state capital....
, celebrated Independence Day for the first time since July 4, 1863, when the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Union victory during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
.

Customs

Independence Day is a national holiday

National Day

The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a nation or non-sovereign country. Often the National Day will be a Public holiday....
marked by patriotic

Patriotism

Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country. The word comes from the Latin language, patria, and Greek language patritha. However, patriotism has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography and philosophy....
displays. Similar to other summer-themed events, Independence Day celebrations often take place outdoors. Independence Day is a federal holiday, so all non-essential federal institutions (like the postal service

United States Postal Service

The United States Postal Service is an Independent agencies of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States....
and federal courts

United States federal courts

The United States federal courts comprises the Judiciary of government organized under the United States Constitution and Law of the United States of the federal government of the United States....
) are closed on that day. Many politician

Politician

A politician is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of politics or a person who influences the way a society is governed....
s make it a point on this day to appear at a public event to praise the nation's heritage, laws, history, society, and people.

Families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbecue and take advantage of the day off and, in some years, long weekend to gather with relatives. Decorations (e.g., streamers, balloons, and clothing) are generally colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the American flag

Flag of the United States

The flag of the United States consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the Flag terminology bearing fifty small, white, Star s arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows of five stars....
. Parades often are in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.

Independence Day fireworks

Fireworks

National anthem

A national anthem is a generally patriotism musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people....
"The Star-Spangled Banner

The Star-Spangled Banner

"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from a poem written in 1814 by then 35-year-old amateur poet Francis Scott Key who wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" after seeing the bombardment of Fort McHenry at Baltimore, Maryland, Maryland, by Royal Navy ships in the Chesapeake Bay during th...
", "God Bless America

God Bless America

"God Bless America" is an United States patriotic song originally written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938, as sung by Kate Smith ....
", "America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful

"America the Beautiful" is an United States patriotic song. The words are by Katharine Lee Bates and the music by Samuel A. Ward. Bates originally wrote the words as a poem, first published in 1895....
", "My Country, 'Tis of Thee

My Country, 'Tis of Thee

"My Country, 'Tis of Thee", also known as "America", is an United States patriotic song, whose lyrics were written by Samuel Francis Smith....
", "This Land Is Your Land

This Land Is Your Land

"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk music. Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America", which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent....
", "Stars and Stripes Forever", and, regionally, "Yankee Doodle

Yankee Doodle

"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Music of the United Kingdom the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years War. It has been widely adopted in the United States and is often sung patriotically today....
" in northeastern states and "Dixie

Dixie (song)

"Dixie", also known as "I Wish I Was in Dixie", "Dixie's Land", and other titles, is a American popular music. It is one of the most distinctively American musical products of the 19th century, and probably the best-known song to have come out of blackface minstrel show....
" in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , was fought from 1812 to 1815.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S....
.

Firework shows are held in many states, and many fireworks are sold for personal use or as an alternative to a public show. Safety concerns have led some states to ban fireworks or limit the sizes and types allowed. Illicit traffic

Smuggling

Smuggling, also known as trafficking, is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons past a point where prohibited, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of the law or other rules....
transfers many fireworks from less restrictive states.

A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a salute to the union, is fired only on Independence Day at noon.

Major displays are held in New York

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
on the East River

East River

The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland....
, in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the Midwestern United States, as well as the List of United States cities by population city in the United States with more than 2.8 million residents....
on Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. The third-largest of the Great Lakes, it is bounded, from west to east, by the U.S....
, in San Diego over Mission Bay, in Boston on the Charles River, in St. Louis on the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, and on the National Mall

National Mall

The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the Capital of the United States. Officially termed by the National Park Service the National Mall & Memorial Parks, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to...
in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
During the annual Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival

Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival

International River Days, a five day festival along the International Riverfront marked the 2007 opening of the Detroit River Walk along the east river leading up to the International Freedom Festival fireworks celebrated between the two countries....
, Detroit

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwestern United States of the United States....
, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a Midwestern United States U.S. state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Anishinaabe language term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Windsor

Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Windsor is located south of Detroit, Michigan, is separated from that city by the Detroit River, and has views of the Detroit skyline....
, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
, host one of the world's largest fireworks displays, over the Detroit River

Detroit River

The Detroit River is a river in the Great Lakes system, about 32 miles long and 0.5 to 2.5 miles wide. The name comes from French language Rivi?re du D?troit, i.e....
, to celebrate both American Independence Day and Canada Day

Canada Day

Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is Canada's National Day, a Public holidays in Canada, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces....
.

While the official observance always falls on July 4th, participation levels may vary according to which day of the week the 4th falls on. If the holiday falls in the middle of the week, some fireworks displays and celebrations may take place during the weekend for convenience, again, varying by region.

Annual events

America's Freedom Festival at Provo
America's Freedom Festival at Provo

America's Freedom Festival at Provo is a Fourth of July celebrations held annually in Provo, Utah. It is said to be one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the United States....
, in Utah
Utah

The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
, is one of the largest freedom festivals. It includes one of the largest Independence Day parades, and the Stadium of Fire
Stadium of Fire

The Stadium of Fire is an annual event held in the Brigham Young University's LaVell Edwards Stadium on the Independence Day . It is one of the main events for the Provo Freedom Festival....
.
Every year in the U.S.A., the Rainbow Family
Rainbow Family

The Rainbow Family of Living Light, also known as The Rainbow Family, are a loosely affiliated group of individuals committed to principles of non-violence and non-hierarchical egalitarianism....
gather for prayer for World Peace. With attendance ranging from 10,000 to 25,000 or more participants, most refer to it as Interdependance Day as all live in primitive conditions by choice, in State Forests and rely upon one another for the first week of July. Participants on Independence Day pray, meditate, or are silent on the morning of Independence Day, ending in a verbal group expression, Aum or Om. The Rainbow Gathering
Rainbow Gathering

Rainbow Gatherings are temporary intentional communities, typically held in outdoor settings, and espousing and practicing ideals of peace, love, harmony, Freedom and community, as a consciously expressed alternative to mainstream popular culture, consumerism, capitalism and mass media....
takes place annually for the first week of July.
The Midwest's largest fireworks display, called "Red, White & Boom
Red, White & Boom

Red, White & Boom is the name of a number of annual fireworks shows in the United States, held on or near July 4 to celebrate the nation's Independence Day ....
", happens on the last weekday before Independence Day in downtown Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the Capital , the largest, and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. Located near the Geographic centers of the United States, Columbus is the county seat of Franklin County, Ohio, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware County, Ohio and Fairfield County, Ohio counties....
. An estimated crowd of 500,000 to 750,000 attend and thousands more people view the fireworks display in HD on NBC Columbus, which is synchronized to music by 97.9 WNCI.
The town of Bristol, Rhode Island
Bristol, Rhode Island

Bristol is a New England town in and the historic county seat of Bristol County, Rhode Island, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,469 at the United States Census, 2000....
is noted for having the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States (since 1785).
James River Assembly in Ozark, Missouri
Ozark, Missouri

Ozark, incorporated in 1890, is a city in Christian County, Missouri, Missouri, United States. The population was 9,665 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Christian County, Missouri....
, hosts the annual "I Love America" Celebration at the Springfield Underground. In 1997, 13,000 people showed up for the first event. In 2006, 120,000 people attended the celebration. Highlights include the choir's "Living Flag", the "Concert in the Sky", nearly 100 games and activities, and a four-hour air show.
A colorful Independence Day event is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

The Nathan's International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual competitive eating competition held at Nathan's Famous's original and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York....
in Coney Island
Coney Island

Coney Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brooklyn, New York City, USA, with a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. The Neighbourhood of the same name is a community of 60,000 people in the western part of the peninsula, with Seagate, Brooklyn to its west; Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York to its east; a...
, Brooklyn
Brooklyn

Brooklyn is one of the five Borough of New York City, located at the western end of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area....
, New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
, which supposedly started on July 4, 1916 as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.
New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
also hosts the famous Macy's
Macy's

Macy's is a chain of mid to high range United States department stores. Its flagship store in Herald Square, New York City has been billed as the "world's largest store" since 1924, although today it ties with London's Harrods in vastness of selling space....
Fireworks display over the East River
East River

The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland....
, televised nationwide on NBC.
In Boston, a fireworks show is held over the Charles River Esplanade with the Boston Pops playing in the background. In recent years it too is televised nationwide.
The International Freedom Festival is jointly held in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwestern United States of the United States....
and Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario

Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Windsor is located south of Detroit, Michigan, is separated from that city by the Detroit River, and has views of the Detroit skyline....
during the last week of June each year, as a combined celebration of Independence Day and Canada Day
Canada Day

Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is Canada's National Day, a Public holidays in Canada, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act, 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces....
(July 1). The festival culminates in a large fireworks display over the Detroit River
Detroit River

The Detroit River is a river in the Great Lakes system, about 32 miles long and 0.5 to 2.5 miles wide. The name comes from French language Rivi?re du D?troit, i.e....
.
Numerous major league
Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of play in American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between them since 1903 ....
and minor league
Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in North America that compete at levels below that of Major League Baseball....
baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
games are played on Independence Day. Since 1959, NASCAR
NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is the largest sanctioning body of stock cars in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series....
has held the Coke Zero 400
Coke Zero 400

The Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona is a 160 lap, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car racing held on the first Saturday night of July, usually around Independence Day weekend, at Daytona International Speedway....
(formerly the "Firecracker 400") on July 4 or the Saturday of Independence Day weekend.
On the Capitol
United States Capitol

The United States Capitol serves as the seat of government for the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States....
lawn in Washington, D.C., a free concert, "A Capitol Fourth
A Capitol Fourth

A Capitol Fourth is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., in celebration of the Independence Day ....
", precedes the fireworks and attracts over half a million people annually.
The City of Urbandale, Iowa
Iowa

The State of Iowa is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It is bordered by Minnesota to the north, Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Missouri to the south....
celebrates the biggest nationwide celebration in a location with a population less than 50,000
Seward, Nebraska
Seward, Nebraska

Seward is a city in Seward County, Nebraska, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln metropolitan area. The population was 6,133 at the 2000 United States Census....
is known for its Independence Day
Independence Day

An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state, more rarely after the end of a military occupation....
celebration. Dating back to 1868 they have honored and celebrated Independence Day, the 2008 celebration will mark its 140th celebration.
The annual 10 kilometer Peachtree Road Race
Peachtree Road Race

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race 10K, or more commonly called the Peachtree Road Race, is a long-distance track event road running held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia on July 4, Independence Day ....
is held in Atlanta.
Since 1912, the Rebild Society, a Danish-American friendship organization, has held a July 4th weekend festival that serves as a homecoming for Danish-Americans in the Rebild
Rebild municipality

Rebild municipality is a municipality in Region Nordjylland in Denmark. It covers an area of 628 square kilometre and a total population of 28,753 ....
section of Denmark
Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
.

External links

on Independence Day
An extensive of Independence Day by James R. Heintze, American University
American University

American University is a Private university United Methodist Church-affiliated research university in Washington, D.C., United States, the main campus of which comes to a corner at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues at Ward Circle, straddling the Spring Valley, Washington, D.C., Wesley Heights, and American University Par...
, Washington, D.C.

Independence Day (United States)

Background

Observance

Customs

Annual events

See also

External links