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Also known as Independence Day, the history of the Fourth of July commemorates the date that the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Its history begins on July 4th, 1776, declaring the independence from Great Britain.
Just after the separation from Great Britain of the Thirteen Colonies on July the 2nd, 1776, there was a vote for the independence, originally proposed by Richard Henry Lee in June, 1776. The Declaration of Independence explains the history of the Fourth of July as the decision of the separation, and Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the famous declaration, one of the Committee of Five.
When finalized, John Adams had written a letter to his wife stating that a celebration for this date in history should consist of a parade, sports and other games, bonfires, bells, and shows. Today, Independence Day is still celebrated in generally the same way, with baseball games, barbecues, picnics and carnivals, and, of course, beginning it all with a 4th of July Parade.
Two of the signers of the Declaration later went on to serve as the President of the United States, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. And, strangely, they both
died on the same day, which was July 4, 1826, the 50th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Some other strange trivia of this famous date includes James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, who died on the 4th of July, in 1831. And Calvin Coolidge, who was the thirtieth United States President, was born on Independence Day, in 1872, the only President born on the 4th of July.
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