A Very Brief History of The Fourth of July

The tradition of setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July began at the first celebration in Philadelphia in 1777, marking the one-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The Pennsylvania Evening Post described the festivities, which included a grand display of armed ships and galleys on the river, firing cannons in honor of the thirteen United States.

An elegant dinner for Congress followed, featuring music by a Hessian band and toasts celebrating independence and fallen patriots.

"Yesterday, the 4th of July, being the anniversary of the INDEPENDENCE of the United States of America, was celebrated in this city with demonstrations of joy and festivity.

About noon all the armed ships and galleys in the river were drawn up before the city, dressed in the gayest manner, with the colors of the United States and streamers displayed. At 1 o'clock, the yards being properly manned, they began the celebration of the day by a discharge of 13 cannon from each of the ships, and one from each of the 13 galleys, in honor of the 13 United States.

In the afternoon, an elegant dinner was prepared for Congress, to which were invited the president and supreme executive council, and speaker of the Assembly of this state, the general officers and colonels of the army, and strangers of eminence, and the members of the several continental boards in town. The Hessian band of music, taken in Trenton the 26th of December last, attended and heightened the festivity with some fine performances suited to the joyous occasion, while a corps of British deserters, taken into the service of the continent by the State of Georgia, being drawn up before the door, filled up the intervals with feu de joie. After dinner, a number of toasts were drank, all breathing independence, and a generous love of liberty, and commemorating the memories of those brave and worthy patriots who gallantly exposed their lives, and fell gloriously, in defense of freedom and the righteous cause of their country." ^1,2

Despite its historical significance, the celebration was relatively brief.

The British captured Philadelphia on September 26, 1777, after the Battle of Brandywine forced General George Washington's retreat. Their occupation lasted until June 1778, when they evacuated in response to French naval pressure, relocating to New York City.

The fates of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, and John Adams, a key member of the committee that drafted the document, always seemed intertwined. After decades of friendship, a bitter political rivalry, and eventual reconciliation, the two signatories passed away on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration's adoption. On July 4th, 1826, just hours after Jefferson passed away at his home in Monticello, Adams famously remarked, 'Thomas Jefferson still survives.'

In 1863, the Battle of Vicksburg concluded on July 4th with the surrender of the Confederate stronghold to Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant. The siege, spanning 47 days, marked a turning point in the Civil War, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy.

On June 28, 1870, Congress first established July 4th as a federal holiday for Washington, D.C. federal employees, later extending it nationwide on June 26, 1876. Finally, on June 28, 1941, Congress made July 4th a federal holiday for all Americans, acknowledging its importance in celebrating the nation's independence.