America's Birthday Independence Day July 4th  

Happy Birthday America. July 4^th, 2007 will mark America's 232 birthday.

She is still looking good for a woman of that age. 

WHERE IT BEGAN: By the middle of the 1700's, the 13 colonies that made up part of England's empire in the New World were finding it difficult to be ruled by a king 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.  They were tired of the taxes imposed upon them. But independence was a gradual and painful process. The colonists could not forget that they were British citizens and that they owed allegiance to King George III.

A "tea party" and a "Massacre" were two events that hurried destiny.  Along with general unrest these events united the colonists.

Virginia took the first step towards independence by voting to set up a committee to represent the colonies. The First Continental Congress met in September of 1774. They drew up a list of grievances against the crown which became the first draft of a document that would formally separate the colonies from England.  George Washington took command of the Continental Army and began fighting the British in Massachusetts.  For the next eight years, colonists fought fervently in the Revolutionary War.

In the meantime, a war of words was being waged in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress presented and debated a second draft of the list of grievances, and John Hancock, the president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first to sign. The document, called the Declaration of Independence, was treasonous against the crown and the fifty-six men who signed it were in danger of being executed.

Independence Day is celebrated on July 4 because that is the day when the Continental Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

July 4th Independence Day Facts

• 122.6 million Americans will have a cookout or picnic on July 4^th
• 81.48 million Americans will watch fireworks or attend a community celebration
• 20.9 million people will go to a parade
• 18.98 million Americans will travel or go on vacation over the long weekend
• Fourth of July was first celebrated on July 8, 1776 after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
• For many, the 4th of July is the most anticipated celebration of the summer.
• Fourth of July was declared a legal holiday in 1941.
• 111.8 million consumers own an American flag

Sources include US Census Bureau, US Embassy