America sure does love hot dogs, beer, and fireworks on the 4th of July!
It's a birthday party, after all!
That's right, the Fourth of July is the birthday of the United States of America. On July 4, 1776, our country's founders declared independence.
What's the reason our country wanted to declare independence? Well, many of the colonists were angry they had to pay taxes to the British government, even though they had no vote in the decisions that affected them. So Thomas Jefferson wrote that famous letter to King George, which is known as the Declaration of Independence. It was signed by 56 men representing each of the 13 colonies. The first, and largest, signature on the letter is John Hancock’s. Some believe he wrote it so large so that King George would be able to read it without his glasses.
The first public Fourth of July celebration at the White House took place in 1804, and finally, almost 100 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, Congress declared July 4 to be a national holiday for the United States of America. And that’s why we celebrate!
Here are some very interesting facts about the holiday:
- The Declaration of Independence wasn't signed on July 4th...or in July at all.
- Massachusetts was the first state to recognize the holiday.
- Three presidents have died, and one was born, on the 4th of July. Can you guess who?
- There are around 15,000 Independence Day Fireworks Celebrations every year.
- We'll eat an obscene about of hot dogs, to the tune of 150 million! Insanity - but at least it's yummy insanity!
- We spend billions on food and beverages - $6.7 billion, to be more specific. Yes, BILLION!
So wherever you're celebrating, be safe and consider taking a birthday cake for dessert.
Happy Birthday, America!
