Independence Day (colloquial: the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States

commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental
Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent
states, the United States of America, and were no longer connected to the British Crown.The Congress
actually voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2.

Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics,
concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various
other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.
Independence Day is the National Day of the United States

history

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776
actually occurred on July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of
independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia declaring the United
States independent from Great Britain's rule. After voting for independence, Congress turned its
attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been
prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and
revised the wording of the Declaration, finally approving it two.
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere which officially
celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. The
landing is celebrated as "Columbus Day" in the United States, as "Día de la Raza" ("Day of the Race") in
some countries in Latin America, as "Día de la Hispanidad" and "Fiesta Nacional" in Spain, where it is
also the religious festivity of la Virgen del Pilar, as Día de las Américas (Day of the Americas) in Belize and
Uruguay, as Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural (Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity) in Argentina,
and as Giornata Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo or Festa Nazionale di Cristoforo Colombo in Italy as
well as in Little Italys around the world. As the day of remembrance of Our Lady of the Pillar, 12 October
had been declared a religious feast day throughout the Spanish Empire in 1730; the secular Fiesta de la
Raza Española was first proposed by Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro y Díaz-Argüelles in 1913. In recent
years, celebration of the holiday has faced some opposition from various organizations.

History

Celebration of Christopher Columbus's voyage in the early United States is recorded from as early as
1792, when the Tammany Society in New York City (for whom it became an annual tradition) and also
the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston celebrated the 300th anniversary of Columbus' landing in
the New World. President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the United States to celebrate
Columbus's landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event. During the anniversary in
1892, teachers, preachers, poets and politicians used rituals to teach ideals of patriotism. These rituals
took themes such as citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation, and the celebration
of social progress.
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is an official United States public holiday observed
annually on November 11, honoring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the United
States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day
which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. Major
hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of
1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran
organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, a U.S. public holiday in May. Veterans Day celebrates the
service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who died while in military
service.There is another military holiday, Armed Forces Day, a minor U.S. remembrance that also occurs
in May, which honors those currently serving in the U.S. military.

History

On November 11, 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson issued a message to his countrymen on the first
Armistice Day, in which he expressed what he felt the day meant to Americans. The United States
Congress adopted a resolution on June 4, 1926, requesting that President Calvin Coolidge issue annual
proclamations calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. A Congressional
Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made November 11 in each year a legal
holiday: "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known
as 'Armistice Day'.

Thanksgiving Day is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most
businesses are closed.

Family Celebration

Thanksgiving Day is a day for people in the US to give thanks for what they have. Families and friends get
together for a meal, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry
sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie.

In some cities and towns, there are parades during the Thanksgiving weekend. In most areas, these
festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season.

Long Weekend in More Than 20 States

The Day After Thanksgiving, also know as Black Friday, is a holiday in more than 20 states. It's common
to take trips and visit family and friends during the long weekend.
Many Have the Day Off

Most government offices, businesses, schools, universities, colleges, and other organizations are closed
on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a long four-day weekend for
Thanksgiving, so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Day after Thanksgiving Day. Public
transit systems usually do not operate on their regular timetables. Thanksgiving Day is one of the
busiest periods for travel in the USA. This can cause congestion and overcrowding. Seasonal parades and
busy football games can also cause disruption to local traffic.

US Holiday Since 1863

Thanksgiving Day has been an annual holiday in the United States since 1863. However, not everyone
sees Thanksgiving Day as a cause for celebration. Beginning in 1970, a
group of Native Americans and their supporters have staged an annual protest for a National Day of
Mourning at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts on Thanksgiving Day. American Indian Heritage
Day is also observed at this time of the year. There are claims that the first Thanksgiving Day was
held in the city of El Paso, Texas, in 1598. Another early event was held in 1619 in the Virginia Colony.
Many people trace the origins of the modern Thanksgiving Day to the harvest celebration the Pilgrims
held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, their first true thanksgiving was in 1623, when they
gave thanks for rain that ended a drought. These early thanksgivings took the form of a special church
service, rather than a feast.
In the second half of the 1600s, thanksgivings after the harvest became more common and started to
become annual events. However, they were celebrated on different days in different communities and
in some places there were more than one thanksgiving each year. George Washington, the first
president of the United States, proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day in 1789.