The Meaning of July 4

On July 4, 1776, a collection of British colonies came together and unanimously declared their new status as the thirteen United States of America in The Declaration of Independence. This is the document that we celebrate and honor each year.

The full Declaration is a fiery insistence on freedom from tyranny, based on this core idea:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The entire document was published in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 5, 1776, and three days later it was read publicly in Philadelphia. One year later, to mark that historic moment, Philadelphia threw a huge celebration to mark Independence Day and it included a rousing display of fireworks. It didn’t take long for that tradition to spread to other cities. More than 200 years later, people all across the country mark the day the same way.

Our Declaration of Independence was and still is an inspiration all across the world, and it remains the heart of what our country stands for.

Happy July 4. Celebrate joyfully and safely.