And though some people tried to fight it
Well, a committee was formed to write it:
Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston
John Adams, Roger Sherman, Thomas Jefferson
They got it done (Oh yes they did!)
The Declaration, uh-huh-huh
The Declaration of Independence (Oh yeah!)
In seventeen hundred seventy six (Right on!)
The Continental Congress said that we were free (We're free!)
Said we had the right of life and liberty
...And the pursuit of happiness!
Schoolhouse Rock
One of my favorite holidays is Independence Day, aka "The Fourth of July." A few years ago, I wrote about this summer holiday. To see that post, click here: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Now that you're up to speed on how we came to celebrate the Fourth of July (despite John Adams' belief that the celebration should have been on July 2nd), let's look at some of the members of the Continental Congress:
- There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.
- Almost one-half of the signers (25) were lawyers.
- There were five delegates on the drafting committee--Benjamin Franklin, John Adams,
- Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. Jefferson was the primary writer, and it took him 17 days to write the Declaration.
- Although Robert Livingston, who represented New York, was on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, he was recalled by his state before he could sign the document.
- Seven of the signers were 60 or older.
- The oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin (age 70), who represented Pennsylvania.
- Thirteen of the signers were 35 or younger.
- The youngest signer was Edward Rutledge (age 26), a lawyer from South Carolina.
- Two future U.S. Presidents signed the Declaration--John Adams (the second president) and Thomas Jefferson (the third president). Ironically, both died on the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1826).
- John Hancock was president of the Continental Congress when independence was declared. His signature is the largest on the Declaration of Independence.
- The state with the fewest signers was Rhode Island with just two--Stephen Hopkins and William Ellery.
- Pennsylvania had nine signers, the most of any state.
- Charles Carroll, who represented Maryland, was the last surviving signer of the Declaration.
- He died in 1832 at the age of 95.
The Pennsylvania Evening Post was the first newspaper to print the Declaration on July 6, 1776.
On July 4, 1778, George Washington helped U.S. troops celebrate by allowing them a double ration of rum.
In 1781, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th a state holiday.
The oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration began in 1785 in Bristol, Rhode Island.
On July 4, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson publicly announced the completion of the Louisiana Purchase, which cost $15 million and doubled the size of the United States.
The first Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi took place on July 4, 1804. Lewis and Clark’s expedition drank whiskey, fired a cannon, and named a creek in what is now Kansas as Independence Creek.
Descendants of people who signed the Declaration of Independence tap the Liberty Bell, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 13 times at 2 p.m. eastern time every 4th of July to honor the 13 original states.
Check out this poster with more information on the holiday: 4th of July By the Numbers
Fireworks
The very first 4th of July fireworks show took place in Philadelphia in 1777. Fireworks, canons, and bells all went off to honor the 13 original states. They also had a dinner and a parade to celebrate.
Americans spend over $1 billion on fireworks every year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, and the numbers continue to go up every year. The biggest celebration is the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show, which takes over 8,000 hours to prepare.
For information on what individual states allow, see the American Pyrotechnics Association's Directory of State Laws.
