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Holidays and Observances - When Did Americans First Celebrate Independence Day?

When did Americans first celebrate Independence Day?

The first Independence Day was celebrated on July 8, 1776, four days after the delegates to the Second Continental Congress (an assembly of representatives from the American colonies during the revolutionary period) signed the Declaration of Independence. This document asserted that the American colonies would no longer obey a British ruler but would become an independent nation. On July 8, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the declaration was read aloud in the state house yard to a crowd, who then celebrated by ringing church bells. After proclaiming independence, the colonies had to fight for it through war, in the American Revolution (1775–83).

Later the second president of the United States, John Adams (1735–1826), declared that future generations should celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4 with such events as...

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