CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — For hundreds of years, Americans have celebrated the Fourth of July with pride. Many of us know and understand the true meaning behind our country's independence. However, there are still others that may not know the foundation in which our nation's independence was built.
It all started in April 1775 when the battles in the Revolutionary War began. Several colonists wanted more for themselves and their people and decided they would push for complete independence from Great Britain.
For months, more colonists came forward, wanting to be separate from the radicals and British. Months later, on June 7, a legislative body called the Continential Congress met in Pennsylvania at Independence Hall, where Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee proposed an the idea for the colonies' independence.
Congress postponed the vote on Lee’s resolution; however, a group was created with five men who were ordered to draft a formal statement explaining their interest in breaking with Great Britain. Less than a month later on July 2, the Continental Congress voted in favor of the formal statement, which was also considered a list of grievances. More importantly, the list officially coined the name as the Declaration of Independence, which was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson.
Particularly on July 2, former president John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail, envisioning the celebrations that are to come with the nation's independence. In the letterhe stated that July 2 will be celebrated "by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival” and that the celebration should include “Pomp and Parade…Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other."
Finally, on July 4, that's when the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4 a federal holiday. It wasn't until 1941 that it became a paid holiday to all federal employees.
Furthermore, as hundreds of years go by and our nation continues to evolve, the patriotism, deeply rooted symbolism, and our nation's Independence Day has forever remained an important American holiday for our country.
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