THE STORY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY
More than two hundred years ago, England had
thirteen colonies in America. The colonies made England rich. Many Englishmen
came to live in the colonies. People came from other countries too. England made laws for the colonies. It
collected taxes from the colonies and sent soldiers to the colonies. The people in the colonies in 1775 did not like
the laws. They did not like the taxes. They did not like the English soldiers in their
land. They did not like the English king.
The
American colonists would not pay some taxes. They broke some of the laws. The
king wanted to punish the Americans. He sent more soldiers. The soldiers killed
some Americans. The Americans began to fight against England.
In
1776, the American colonists had a big meeting in Philadelphia. They decided to
fight for their independence from England. They asked Thomas Jefferson to write
a Declaration of Independence. The words Thomas Jefferson wrote are now very
famous:
“
... We hold these truths to be self-evident:
that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ...
... In the name of the good people of
these colonies, ... we declare that these United Colonies are, and
of right ought to be free and Independent States ...
And
for the support of this declaration, ...
we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”
It
was very dangerous to sign this declaration. If England won the war, the
signers would lose everything, even their lives.
John
Hancock was the president of the meeting. He was the first one to sign the
Declaration of Independence. He wrote
his name in big letters to show that he was not afraid. Fifty-five other men
signed it too. This was on July 4, 1776. Now the fight against England became a
war for independence.
George
Washington was the general of the American army. It was a very difficult war.
The Americans lost many battles in the first years.
At
last they got help from France. The war continued until 1781. The British army
surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. In 1783, Britain
signed the Peace of Paris. The United States was now truly independent.
INDEPENDENCE DAY TIMELINE
1620 – Pilgrims from England arrived at
Plymounth, Massachusetts, on the Mayflower.
1775 – Americans began to fight a war for their
freedom. The war was called the American Revolution.
July 4, 1776 – The Declaration of Independence
was signed.
July 4, 1777 – The first Independence Day was
celebrated.
July 4, 1884 – America received a birthday gift
from France – the Statue of Liberty.
1941 – Independence Day became an official
holiday.
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION
Independence
Day is a national holiday. There are parades and picnics on the Fourth of July.
At night there are band concerts and fireworks. It is a very happy and noisy
holiday.
THE UNITED STATES FLAG
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