America celebrates July 4 as Independence Day because it was on July 4, 1776, that members of the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.
Following its adoption, the Declaration was read to the public in various American cities. Whenever they heard it, patriots erupted in cheers and celebrations.
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| Bicycle riders in parade on the Fourth of July at Vale, Ore, circa 1941. (Library of Congress) |
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| Revelers enjoy a rather subdued Fourth of July parade in New York, circa 1911. (Library of Congress) |
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| A group of children plays with sparklers in 1940 after Fourth of July celebrations. (Keystone View/FPG/Getty Images) |
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| Men wearing period costumes participate in a Fourth of July parade in 1911 in New York. (Library of Congress) |
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| Three boys dressed as a patriotic band celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, in the 1940s. (Bert Garai/Keystone View/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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| Fourth of July celebrations take place in 1939 near Chapel Hill, N.C. The men in the baseball suits are on a local team slated to play a game nearby. (Library of Congress) |
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| A Fourth of July parade is held in New York with little girls marching in festive white dresses. (Library of Congress) |
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| Two revelers, sporting Native American headdresses and playing instruments, enjoy a Fourth of July parade in New York in 1911. (Library of Congress) |
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| A very young American enjoys a snooze in his pram while attending American Independence Day celebrations in London with his serviceman father. (Terry Fincher/Keystone/Getty Images) |
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| Spectators watch a baseball match intently on Stamford Bridge, July 4, 1918. (A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) |
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| Central Hall is decorated with the 'stars and stripes' during a meeting on July 4, 1918. One of the speakers pictured include Winston Churchill when he was Minister of Munitions. (A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) |
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| American soldiers driving through the streets rest during Fourth of July celebrations on July 4, 1918. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) |
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| Soldiers ride in carriages through the streets during Fourth of July celebrations. (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) |
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| A group convenes at a meeting in Central Hall, London, which is decorated all around with American flags. (A. R. Coster/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images) |
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| Tall sailing ships sit on display at a pier for the American Bicentennial celebration on July 4, 1976. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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| Men and women in 18th century costumes wave from atop a Liberty Bell float during an American Bicentennial parade on July 4, 1976. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) |
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| Parade at the July 4th celebration, Ashville, Ohio July 4th, 1938. |
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| Throngs of people take part in a Fourth of July parade, early 1900s. (Library of Congress) |
