Happy Independence Day to my readers from the US. Today is a post day, but as its a National Holiday and busy day for many of us celebrating, I decided to do another simple post, this time random facts about July 4th.
To my non-US readers, I swear this whole month won’t be a FREEEDOOOM month. While the theme of the Women of History posts will be American, it will otherwise not be US centric like this. Happy Republic Day to those in the Philippines, and a happy belated Canada Day to those in Canada.
So here we go, some interesting facts about Independance Day
- – July 4th became a federal holiday in 1870, nearly a hundred years after the country was founded. It became a paid federal holiday in 1938.
- The vote on the Declaration of Independence took place on July 2, the publication took place on July 4th (with two signatures including John Hancock’s) and wasn’t completely signed till August of that year. We also wouldn’t have ‘won our independence’ till 1783. John Adams reportedly observed Independence Day on July 2nd and considered the 4th to be wrong.
- Two of the men who worked on the Declaration – John Adams and Thomas Jefferson – would become President. They also would die on July 4, 1826, 50 years later, just hours apart. James Monroe, another president, died on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge was born on Independence day in 1872, only a few short years before the centennial celebration.
- The Philippines celebrates July 4th as their Republic Day because they were recognized as an independent Nation and no longer a US territory on July 4, 1946.
- We did not have a written plan for our government till November 1777. It would not be fully ratified until March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation would be scrapped in favor of the US Constitution in 1787. So the government we are all familar with didn’t exist for 11 years after the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution was effective just a few months before the US’ 12th birthday in 1789.
- The first time the 50 state flag was displayed was July 4, 1960. Hawaii and Alaska had become states 10 months earlier, but they waited till the 4th to present the new flag. It has been 58 years since there was a change made to the Flag.
- The Freedom of Information Act was signed on July 4, 1966 by President Johnson.
Sokorra Lewis 