page_title: Independence Day (United States)
section_title: Observance
hierarchical_section_title: Independence Day (United States) / Observance
caption_attribution_description: 1902 American cartoon about celebrating the Fourth of July Caption: "A False Alarm on the Fourth" Uncle Sam tells Lady Peace: "It's all right. There's no fighting. The noise you hear is just my family celebrating!" Other information From the Library of Congress prints and photographs division Library of Congress description: Illustration shows Uncle Sam, holding a firecracker, trying to reassure a concerned-looking female figure with wings labeled "Peace" that all the noise she hears is for the celebration of the Fourth of July. Celebrating with Uncle Sam are several figures labeled "Alaska, New York, Texas, Mass., Hawaii, Porto Rico, North, South"; one disgruntled figure labeled "Philippine" is climbing over a wall, also an African American is sitting near Uncle Sam. Some are lighting strings of firecrackers, "Texas" is shooting guns, and "Mass." is firing a cannon in the direction of the wall "Philippine" is climbing over. The U.S. Capitol building is in the background and a dove with olive branch hovers over the figure of "Peace".
context_page_description: Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, but it was not declared until July 4.
  Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.
context_section_description: In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in salute, once at morning and once again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. An article in the July 18, 1777 issue of The Virginia Gazette noted a celebration in Philadelphia in a manner a modern American would find familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships in port were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
  In 1778, from his headquarters at Ross Hall, near New Brunswick, New Jersey, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute (feu de joie). Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
  In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.
  In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
  In 1783, Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter entitled The Psalm of Joy. The town claims to be the first public July 4 event, as it was carefully documented by the Moravian Church, and there are no government records of any earlier celebrations.
  In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
  In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
  In 2020, demonstrators in some U.S. cities held protests to oppose alleged racial inequality in the United States. One notable protest blocked the highway leading to Mount Rushmore prior to a speech by President Donald Trump as a statement against the annexation of Lakota Sioux land by the United States Government.
caption: American children of many ethnic backgrounds celebrate noisily in 1902 Puck cartoon
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