US Independence Day 2022: On 4th July 2022, the United States is celebrating its 246th Independence Day to commemorate the day of attaining freedom from British Rule. Also known as the 4th of July, the US celebrates this day as a federal holiday with great enthusiasm including fireworks, parades, concerts, baseball games, reunions, barbecues, carnivals, and several other activities.
The fourth of July in US history also commemorates the Declaration of Independence approved by the Second Continental Congress on 4th July 1776 marking the foundation of the United States of America and liberation from British rule.
US Independence Day: History – What happened on July 4, 1776?
The process of the US attaining Independence started on 2nd July 1776 when the thirteen colonies separated from Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress voted in approval of the Independence resolution proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia to declare the US from the rule of Great Britain.
After approval of the resolution, Congress was presented with the Declaration of Independence prepared by the Committee of Five with Thomas Jefferson as the principal author. Jefferson after consulting fellow committee members including Benjamin Franklin and John Adam among others drafted the original petition for freedom. After a few rounds of debates, Congress finally approved the Declaration of Independence two days later on 4th July 1776 which came to be known as the US Independence Day.
Significance of 4th of July: Which country did the US declare Independence from?
The United States (US) declared Independence from the rule of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence holds significance in US history as before 1776, the US was colonized by Great Britain. In 1607, the first colony was established in Jamestown, Virginia. Throughout the 17th century, Britain kept gaining control and by 1775, there were a total of 13 colonies in the present United States namely: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Georgia.
After the Indian and French War, the Crown of Great Britain went into debt so it began to pass legislation such as the Stamp Act in March of 1765, the Townshend Acts in June and July of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773 to start taxing all the colonies. Tensions started escalating further after the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. In April 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord erupted in Massachusetts and that marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783) to gain independence from Great Britain.
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