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Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More
The History of the 4th of July Celebrations
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Few dates carry as much significance in the United States as July 4th, but the celebration of the date has evolved over time. July 4, 1776 was not a day of celebration across the country, as nobody outside of Philadelphia knew what had happened. But just one year later, it was being celebrated and has been ever since for a quarter of a millennium. Learn more about the history of the celebration of the 4th of July on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by Mint Mobile. There are things in life that you do not want to be transparent, like your swimsuit or your search history. But when it comes to your wireless bill, transparency is everything. That's why Mint Mobile's wireless plans have no gimmicks and no gotchas, just high speed data and reliable coverage on the T Mobile 5G network. And right now, all plans are $15 a month, even the unlimited plan. It works on your current phone, your current phone number, and you can keep all of your contacts. That's why I recommend Mint Mobile. To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, go to mintmobile.comeed that's mintmobile.comeed cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.comeed that's it. There's no catch. $45 upfront payment required, equivalent to $15 a month. New customers on first three month plan only speed slower above 40gb on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details. This episode is sponsored by Quint's. Several months ago I moved into a new apartment and I've been buying new furniture as of late, and one of the other things I've been doing is shopping at Quince for all my home decorating needs, from soft bedding and washable rugs to curtains, towels, decor and pieces that make a room feel more finished. Quince has become one of those places I trust when I want my home to feel a little more comfortable and put things together without overpaying. Everything at quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middleman so you're paying for exceptional quality, not brand markup. And of course, it's not just home furnishings. Quint's has become a trusted favorite for everything from travel gear to clothing to everyday essentials. In addition to fixing up your home, you can make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to Quince.com daily for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Quince.com daily for free Shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com daily. The first Fourth of July in 1776 wasn't celebrated at all. While Jefferson had written the Declaration of Independence by late June, the second Continental Congress still needed to pass Richard Henry Lee's resolution of Independence, which was passed on July 2nd. As I covered in a previous episode, the vote on the resolution of independence by the Continental Congress can be considered the date on which independence was actually declared. The language of the Declaration of Independence was finalized in the late afternoon of July 4, 1776. After a consensus was reached, it needed to be printed at John Dunlap's print shop and distributed across the colonies. It was first read in Philadelphia, then in New York on July 9 and in Boston on July 18. It didn't reach Virginia until late July and southern colonies until August. When it was read aloud in the summer of 1776, it was it was met with roaring approval and celebration. After it was read in New York City, the crowd was so enthusiastic that they marched to a nearby 2 ton statue of King George III, pulled it down and had it melted into more than 40,000 units of ammunition for the war effort. Full on celebrations of the Fourth of July would have to wait until 1777 when the holiday was commemorated as a day of remembrance. The reason July 4th was celebrated as July 2nd is that was the date that was on the document that everybody read. This holiday was much more somber than its modern incarnations as the Revolutionary War was still in full swing. The Philadelphia Evening Post reported on the day's proceedings, which included a ringing of the city's bells and a 13 gun salute. At a time of powder shortage. They noted, quote, yesterday, the Fourth of July, being the anniversary of the independence of the United States of America, was celebrated in the city with with demonstrations of joy and festivity. The Massachusetts state legislature officially recognized the day as a state holiday in 1781. The legislation called for public rejoicing, a bold move as the Revolutionary War still wasn't over. Rejoicing in 1781 meant local ministers reading the Declaration to their parishes, prayer, a feast among friends, and bonfires as gunpowder at the time couldn't be spared. The holiday's importance grew significantly after the war ended and George Washington became president. The day was often marked by speeches amplifying the virtues of American democracy. Parades became a Fourth of July tradition, serving as a visual representation of the nation's struggle and highlighting veteran sacrifice. The early politics of the Republic were quite acrimonious, with politicians attacking one another With a ferocity that would make modern politicians blush. The tension was so great that violence nearly erupted at competing events in New York in the wake of the widely condemned Jay Treaty. During the festivities in the summer of 1795, as the nation migrated to a system based on political parties, the very factions that George Washington had warned Americans about in his 1796 farewell address had compromised the unity of the Fourth of July. In the wake of Washington's retirement, these competing factions held separate celebrations. Historian Michael Hatton highlighted the differences between the competing festivals, noting for the Democratic Republicans, especially in the north, the parades would heavily feature artisans and workers because they saw themselves as the more popular, less elitist party processions in Federalist controlled areas would often have been organized in a much more hierarchical fashion and led by the most important people in town. The War of 1812 had significant implications for the commemoration of the Fourth of July. The outbreak of the War of 1812 fueled a new wave of nationalism that cemented the holiday in American identity and strengthened unity. The war also changed how the event was commemorated. Before the War of 1812, cannons and guns were fired in salute on the 4th of July. As they did during the Revolutionary War, local officials aimed to conserve gunpowder. Instead of firing heavy artillery, they asked citizens to place candles in their windows for a quiet public illumination. For a public spectacle, they would detonate lower grade gunpowder packed into a tube with refuse iron fillings, which when ignited, shot a brief, brilliant shower of golden sparks into the sky. The War of 1812 also provided the soundtrack to the holiday. The attack on Fort McHenry, chronicled by Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner, became a vital part of the nation's identity. A particularly somber Fourth of July occurred in 1826 when both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died died on the same day, which also coincidentally was the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The two men had fallen out of friendship after the 1800 election, only to reunite decades later, a generation later. The national trauma of the Civil War interrupted the holiday's impact. During the conflict, Confederate newspapers urged their readers to ignore the holiday. Stores stayed open, parades were canceled, and there were no fireworks. At its core, the Fourth of July is a holiday about the creation of America, the Union of thirteen colonies, into a single republic, and that ran antithetical to the secession of the Confederacy. In 1863, two of the most significant Union victories of the Civil War converged on the 4th of July. On the morning of July 4th, word spread that the Union army had just repelled Robert E. Lee's advance into the north at Gettysburg the day before. Simultaneously down South, General Ulysses S. Grant took total control of the Mississippi river as the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi officially surrendered, severing the Confederacy in 2. The grueling 47 day siege of Vicksburg was such a devastating blow that the local citizens refused to celebrate the 4th of July for the next 81 years. Believe it or not, it wasn't until after the Civil War in 1870, that the Fourth of July was finally declared an official federal holiday. America's centennial celebration in 1876 provided an opportunity to turn the page and reclaim the unity that was central to the holiday. President Grant offered his vision in calling for a day of reflection and gratitude. The Centennial celebration coincided with the end of post Civil War Reconstruction, a period marked by division intention. Reconstruction had not solved the challenges in integrating former slaves into the United States. Despite the passage of constitutional amendments to advance their citizenship. Violence was breaking out across the south, including the Hamburg Massacre, which broke out in South Carolina over a July 4th parade. The real story of the Centennial celebration emerged that summer as Philadelphia hosted the World's Fair. Called the Centennial Exposition. The fair captivated more than 10 million people, and the organizers hoped to show a United States that had put the Civil War behind it. Visitors were treated to innovations like the typewriter, Heinz ketchup, the telephone and the mighty Corliss steam engine. One of the most spectacular aspects of the Centennial Exposition was the debut of the Statue of Liberty's right arm and torch, which was scheduled to arrive in time for the holiday but was delayed until later in the summer. Fairgoers could climb inside the torch for a fee, with proceeds helping to cover the cost of the statue's massive base. Yet amid all the glittering splendor of the Centennial Exposition, the World's Fair had one definitive impact on the celebration of the fourth of July. It transformed it into a truly national event. During the 1876 centennial, the nation's attention turned squarely to Philadelphia, which hosted a Grand jubilee. At the stroke of midnight, the city, which was already known for its famous bells, debuted the Centennial Bell, drawing tens of thousands of spectators into the street. But organizers weren't done yet. Amidst the roaring train whistles and fireworks, they staged two symbolic gestures explicitly engineered to promote national unity to visually display the healing of a fractured country. Pennsylvania governor and Union veteran John Hartraft stepped onto the stage to shake hands with Virginia Governor James Kemper, a man who had been wounded fighting for the Confederacy at Gettysburg. The famous handshake was met with an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Moments later, the grandson of Founding Father Richard Henry Lee stepped forward to unroll and read the actual original parchment of the Declaration of Independence. Lee's reading marked the last time that the document would ever leave Washington, D.C. a century later, the 1976 bicentennial was filled with exciting events that attracted national attention. Unlike in 1876, this celebration could truly be national. Thanks to television in New York City, the nation's birthday was celebrated by Operation Sail. It was a tall ship gala that brought 16 historic tall ships up the Hudson river As an estimated 6 million people watched them sail past the Statue of Liberty. Famed journalist Walter Cronkite summed up the power of Operation Sail when he said it was the grandest birthday party in the history of the world. The Bicentennial Commission of Pennsylvania pulled off the bicentennial wagon train. The wagon train was a group of thousands of covered wagons crossing the country from west to east. As historian Mark Stein noted, it was Manifest Destiny in reverse. The wagons, organized and run by volunteers, even tried to stick to historic westward migration routes whenever possible as they converged on Valley Forge on July 3rd with a festival planned for the 4th. Ross Rowland Jr. A train enthusiast and successful commodities broker, thought it would be fitting to honor America's Bicentennial with the the Freedom Train. The train was a traveling museum of American artifacts, including George Washington's copy of the Constitution that toured the 48 contiguous states for nearly two years. Those who were children during the bicentennial undoubtedly remember the wildly popular ABC educational series Schoolhouse Rock, which was rebranded for the bicentennial as America Rock. America Rock briefly abandoned the clever three minute spots on grammar and math and replaced them with patriotic videos of American history with features focusing on battles of the Revolution, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. America Rock brought the Bicentennial directly to children. The United States government also fueled the celebration by creating commemorative pieces that instantly became collector's items. Leading the charge the US Postal Service delighted stamp collectors as it celebrated the Bicentennial by printing more than 100 individual commemorative stamps as part of its Historic American Bicentennial series. Not to be outdone, the US Mint ran a nationwide design competition to redesign the reverse sides of three specific the quarter, the half dollar, and the $1 coin. The winning designs featured a dual date, 1776, 1976. These new issues celebrated the nation's milestone by featuring a colonial drummer boy, Independence hall, and the Liberty Bell resting on the moon. The coins remain incredibly common, as the Mint produced more than 1.6 billion billion quarters. The coins and stamps allowed everybody to take part in the festivities. Even if you couldn't get to New York for operation Sale or the wagon train didn't come through your town. It was nearly impossible to drive down any street in America without spotting American flags on every front porch as the Bicentennial inspired a massive wave of national unity and patriotism. But the event was not without critics. Critics panned the bicentennial as the by centennial as corporations capitalized on the patriotic enthusiasm by branding nearly every product from T shirts to soda cans to the famed pooland red, white and blue Spirit of 76 commemorative chainsaw. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary or its semiquin centennial, a term that doesn't really fall off the tongue, we will be celebrating in many of the same ways that we have in the past. There are efforts by corporations to brand products with patriotic symbols and flags, and there will certainly be fireworks in nearly every municipality in the country, not to mention the private pyrotechnics which form the backbone of the multi billion dollar fireworks industry. The Washington Mall is expected to host a world record fireworks display this July 4th, featuring a 40 minute show with an estimated 851,000 fireworks. And if you're around 50 years from now, you might get to enjoy the Tricentennial which will probably involve robots and a spaceship parade on the moon. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode were provided by Joel Hermanson. Today's review comes from listener Omamaha on Apple Podcasts in the United States. They write exceptional perfect snack sized podcast for curious people. My absolute favorite. Thanks Gary. But now I'm trying to figure out how to sneak defenestration into a conversation. Well thanks Omaha. It's actually really simple. Just tell someone that if they don't know what defenestration means, then they are worthy of defenestration. Remember, if you leave a review of the podcast on any of the major podcast apps, then you too can have it read on the show with no
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more Kings we're going to elect a president. No more King. He's going to do what the people want. No more Kings. We're going to run things our way. No more kings tell us what to do. Rocking our rooms, fishing and a splashing over the horizon. What can it be? Looks like it's going to be a free country.