Happy Birthday to U.S.

The above is excerpted from Adams' famous letter of July 3, 1776 in which he wrote to his wife Abigail his thoughts about celebrating the Fourth of July.

 

Adams (1735-1826) was instrumental in negotiating in favor of independence at the Continental Congresses (1774-78) and signed the Declaration of Independence. He and Thomas Jefferson, only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents (2nd and 3rd) died on the same day — July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.

And, James Monroe, 5th President and Founding Father, but not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, also died on July 4 in 1831. He became the third President in a row who died on this day. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President, was born on July 4, 1872, and, to date, is the only President born on Independence Day.

July 4th memorable dates . . .

• In 1777, gunshots (13) were fired in salute at morning and as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, RI.
• Philadelphia celebrated the 1st anniversary in a manner familiar even today: toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks.
• In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.
• In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
• In 1791, the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
• In 1820, the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state.
• In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees, but in 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.

Happy Birthday U.S.A