John Hancock’s bold signature appeared smack dab in the middle due to his position as President. The broadside later sold at auction for $8.1 million! The Case for August 2, 1776Īugust 2nd has been referred to by some historians as “the most important and least celebrated day in American history.” That’s when delegates finally started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. In 2000, one lucky individual found an original copy of the document tucked behind a $4 flea market painting. Known as the Dunlap Broadside, only 26 copies still exist, and they are worth a fortune. Each one had the name of John Hancock, President of the Congress, at the bottom. Finally, on July 4th, the Declaration was approved and sent to a printer by the name of John Dunlap.īack at his printing shop, Dunlap worked feverishly into the night, printing 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence. Pouring over the document and debating the merits of its points and language required two days of deliberation. Thomas Jefferson wrote the vast majority, a first draft of the Declaration of Independence. Fortunately, one had already been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five, which included: And Then There’s July 4th, 1776Īfter approval of the resolution, Congress knew they needed a formal document to explain the “divorce” from Britain. All told, the American Revolution would drag on until 1781, costing tens of thousands of American lives. They were in the thick of a fight with the greatest superpower in the world, and France wouldn’t become an American ally for another year and a half. But the newly-minted American people didn’t feel much like celebrating at the time. July 2nd was officially the day that the 13 Colonies pulled off the band-aid and broke away from the British Empire. It’s easy to see Adams’s point in this letter. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. In a letter dated July 3rd, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail: They unanimously approved the Lee Resolution, which announced the Thirteen Colonies “free and independent states.” The Pennsylvania Evening Post reported on America’s official independence later that day. On July 2nd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress officially declared its freedom from Great Britain. On the plus side, it’s also the only federal holiday where barbecue, beer, and explosives are required.īut what if I told you we should really celebrate American independence on July 2nd or August 2nd? Keep reading as we present the case for these dates. Apple pie, Little League World Series, Hawaiian shirt American.
(Watch Outlander or Gunpowder if you need a refresher!) In that supreme act of courage and rebellion, our nation was born.Īnd that’s why the 4th of July is as American as it gets. After all, Great Britain didn’t take too kindly to treason. As 56 Founding Fathers in stifling wigs and fancy clothes baked in the heat of a Pennsylvania mid-summer day, each waited their turn to sign our Declaration of Independence: a document that represented both an assertion of liberty and each man’s death warrant.
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