Why Do We Celebrate July 4th?
The Fourth of July, often known as Independence Day, commemorates the United States independence from the British Empire in 1776 and the establishment of the United States of America. According to the United States Government Publishing Office, the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring that the thirteen American colonies were no longer part of the British Empire but now the United States of America.  The Constitution provides the legal and governmental framework for the United States, but the Declaration, with its expressive claim all Men are created equal, is equally beloved by the American people, according to the Library of Congress. Separations First Steps  On June 7, 1776, Virginias Richard Henry Lee, a member of the Continental Congress, presented the Lee Resolution, which was the first proposition for independence. According to the document from the United States National Archives, the resolution had three sections: a proclamation of independence, a request to forge foreign alliances, and a plan for confederation.  Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, completely dissolved, according to the Lee Resolution. The Lee Resolution was an indication of what was already beginning to unfold throughout the colonies, according to the National Archives. Over time, the Congress assumed the responsibilities of a national government. The Continental Army and a continental currency were founded by the Congress in June 1775. It established a post office for the United Colonies by the end of July of that year, according to the website. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, and Congress formally ratified the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4. Members of the Continental Congress had not yet signed the declaration of independence, despite the fact that it had been made. It wasnt until August 2 that it became official when most delegates signed the Declaration of Independence, according to the U.S. National Parks Service (NPS) website. The Declaration of Independence contains five partsthe introduction, the preamble, the body (which has two sections) and a conclusion. The National Archives explains. This is a brief summary.