Surprising facts about the Fourth of July

America actually declared independence on July 2, 1776

The official vote declaring the independence of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain actually occurred on July 2, 1776.

On that date, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After approving independence, Congress turned its attention to how to notify King George.

A draft of the Declaration of Independence was prepared by Thomas Jefferson, working with John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston and Benjamin Franklin. The delegates debated and revised the Declaration, infuriating young Jefferson at least once. They finally approved it on July 4 – thus the date written on the document.

_{Source: "How Declaration of Independence was Drafted," New York Times, July 1, 1917}

Shooting fireworks was John Adams' idea

Shortly after the Declaration was signed, Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that the date:

“... 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.”

_{Source: "Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776, Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society at the American University of Washington, D.C.}

The holiday has been celebrated ever since

Independence Day has been a national celebration ever since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

It was celebrated by both sides during the War Between the States.

During the Great Depression, Dr. Samuel B. Lathan of Winnboro, South Carolina, was interviewed by W. W. Dixon as part of the Federal Writers' Project of 1940.

He described this celebration during his childhood in the late 1850s:

“The military companies of infantry would assembly here from the surrounding counties making up a brigade. A drill and inspection were had, and a dress parade followed. There was an old cannon mounted on the field. The honor of firing it was assigned to Hugh Reed, who had been in the artillery of Napoleon's army at Waterloo. A great barbecue and picnic dinner would be served; candidates for military, state, and national offices would speak; hard liquor would flow; and each section would present its 'bully of the woods' in a contest for champion in a fist and skull fight. Butting, biting, eye gouging, kicking, and blows below the belt were barred.”

Slavery abolished in New York on July 4, 1827

The first drafts of the U.S. Constitution had passages banning slavery, which were removed to achieve ratification by all 13 colonies.

In response, the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 declared all men "born free and equal" in that state. Massachusetts slave Quock Walker sued for his freedom on that basis and won. That ended all slavery in Massachusetts.

Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which ended slavery in all U.S. territories northwest of the Ohio River. Great Britain and the U.S. both outlawed slave importation in 1808. Their navies together suppressed the slave trade starting in 1820. With the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, the two nations formed the Africa Squadron, which focused on slave ships.

Although northern state legislatures passed abolition legislation, New York and Pennsylvania still listed slaves in their 1840 census returns. Slaves were listed in New Jersey in the 1860 census.

_{Photo: "Caesar, a Slave," photographer unknown. 1851 daguerrotype. The New York Historical Society}

The Louisiana Purchase was announced on the 4th of July

On July 4, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson officially announced the Louisiana Purchase, which included territory encompassing much of the Midwest.

Two years later, on July 4, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition sent to explore the purchase, paused to celebrate Independence Day, according to expedition journals. It had been a tough day – the explorers had to carry their canoes and rafts around the Great Falls of the Missouri River in what today is Montana.

The men celebrated Independence Day with the last of their whiskey, fiddle music and dancing into the night, according to the book Undaunted Courage, by Steven E. Ambrose.

Why did John Hancock sign his name so big?

John Hancock wrote his name with a flourish and twice the size of any other.

Although Hancock claimed that he wanted his name large enough for King George III to read without his spectacles, the king never received a copy with Hancock’s signature, say historians.

Because of the dangers involved in the ongoing war with Britain, the signers were not identified immediately after the event. Only after American victories at Trenton and Princeton six months later did Congress order a copy of the Declaration printed that included all the names of the signatories.

Five signers were captured by the British during the Revolutionary War, but only one specifically because he signed the Declaration - Richard Stockton of New Jersey.

During torture, Stockton recanted his signature and declared his loyalty to King George. Later after he was released, he disavowed his action, reaffirmed his dedication to the cause of independence and ... bitterly denounced the use of torture to force him to lie to live.

A big day in history

On July 4, 1054, a supernova in the sky near the star Tauri was observed and recorded by observers in China, Europe, the Ottoman Empire and the Americas. For months it remained bright enough to be seen during the day. Today, its remnants form the Crab Nebula.

On July 4, 1636, Providence, Rhode Island, was founded. On that same date in 1802, West Point, the United States Military Academy opened. In 1817, construction of the Erie Canal began.

In 1831 – Samuel Francis Smith unveiled the song "America" ("My country 'tis of thee") during Boston festivities. In 1863, Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant after a 47-day siege.

In 1865 – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was published.

In 1881, the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama opened.

In 1886, the people of France gave the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States.

In 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole, but later applied to be a U.S. territory.

In 1918, the Bolsheviks killed Czar Nicholas II of Russia and his family – but daughter Anastasia was rumored to have escaped.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig, diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, told a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he was retiring and considered himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth."

In 1946, after 381 years of colonial rule, the Philippine Islands attained full independence.

In 1947, the "India Independence Bill" was presented before British House of Commons granting India and Pakistan self-government.

In 1950, Radio Free Europe broadcasted for the first time.

In 1976, Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but one of the passengers and the crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.

In 1997, NASA's Pathfinder space probe landed on the surface of Mars.

In 2004, the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

In 2009, the Statue of Liberty's crown reopened to the public after being closed for eight years following the World Trade Center attacks.