History and traditions of the 4th of July
Independence Day is the main public holiday in the United States, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. On July 4, 1776, representatives of 13 states in the Philadelphia City Assembly signed a document declaring the United States an independent state independent of the British Kingdom. The inevitability of a break with the mother country became clear after the start in April 1775 of military operations for independence in North America (1775-1783). On June 7, 1776, at a meeting of the Continental Congress, a delegate from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee, introduced a resolution stating that «The United Colonies are, and by right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are completely exempt from allegiance to the British Crown; that any political connection between them and by the British State must be completely abolished.» On June 11, a committee consisting of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston was elected to prepare a special declaration on the subject. The drafting of the declaration was entrusted to the head of the committee, a prominent figure in the War of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, who worked on its text for 17 days (from June 11 to 28). Jefferson's draft, with minor editorial revisions by John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, was presented to the Continental Congress on June 28. During the discussion, changes were made to the draft, in particular, the section condemning slavery and the slave trade was removed. On the evening of July 4, the agreed text of the «Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America» was unanimously approved, certified by the signatures of Congress President John Hancock and Secretary Charles Thomson, and read aloud to the people gathered in front of the building where the Continental Congress met. It was the first document in history that proclaimed the principle of popular sovereignty as the basis of the state system, rejecting the theory of the divine origin of power that prevailed at that time. The Declaration of Independence asserted for the people the right to revolt and overthrow the despotic government, proclaimed the basic ideas of democracy – the equality of people, their «inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.» The Declaration became not only a «birth certificate» of the new state, but also a monument of American literature: Jefferson managed to express its principles and ideas in figurative language, in a concise and accessible form. The ceremony of signing the declaration written on parchment took place on August 2, 1776. The names of all 56 people who signed the Declaration entered the history of the United States, extensive literature and a memorial in Washington is dedicated to them. In 1870, the US Congress declared July 4 a as a public holiday. The original Declaration of Independence is considered public property in the United States and is stored in the National Archives in Washington in a bulletproof glass container filled with an inert gas. During the day, the Declaration is put on public display in the archive room, at night the container is lowered into a secure basement. According to the established tradition, on Independence Day of the United States, actors dressed in camisoles and hats of the 18th century perform in front of visitors to the archive and tourists, loudly reading the text of the Declaration. It was the first document in history that proclaimed the principle of popular sovereignty as the basis of the state system, rejecting the theory of the divine origin of power that prevailed at that time. The Declaration of Independence asserted for the people the right to revolt and overthrow the despotic government, proclaimed the basic ideas of democracy – the equality of people, their «inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.» The Declaration became not only a «birth certificate» of the new state, but also a monument of American literature: Jefferson managed to express its principles and ideas in figurative language, in a concise and accessible form. The ceremony of signing the declaration written on parchment took place on August 2, 1776. The names of all 56 people who signed the Declaration entered the history of the United States, extensive literature and a memorial in Washington is dedicated to them. Of the 56 people who put their signatures under the Declaration, five were captured by the British and shot as traitors. Nine people died from wounds received during the Revolutionary War. Many lost wives, children and property. Ironically, the two authors of this document, who later became presidents of the United States, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, died on the same day on July 4, 1826, exactly 50 years after the signing of the Declaration. In 1870, the US Congress declared July 4 a public holiday. The original Declaration of Independence is considered public property in the United States and is stored in the National Archives in Washington in a bulletproof glass container filled with an inert gas. During the day, the Declaration is put on public display in the archive room, at night the container is lowered into a secure basement. According to the established tradition, on Independence Day of the United States, actors dressed in camisoles and hats of the 18th century perform in front of visitors to the archive and tourists, loudly reading the text of the Declaration. There are also certain regional peculiarities. For example, in the city of Seward (Alaska) there is a hiking trip to the top of Mount Marathon. Since 1818, residents of the town of Lititz, Pennsylvania, have been making candles throughout the winter: on July 4, a candle festival is held in the city. In the city of Tecumseh, Nebraska, several hundred flags are hung on the courthouse in honor of the natives of the city who served in the US armed forces.
Seyran SOPYYEV,
1st year student of the Faculty of International Journalism
of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.