Every year we celebrate July 4th as the day we officially became an independent nation, but that may not be exactly right. Turns out July 4th was the day the Declaration of Independence was approved. Congress had actually voted to approve our independence on July 2nd. There's even rumor that the Declaration of Independence may not have been signed until early August. But regardless of the specific details, we became seperated from British rule in the summer of 1776 and that's a damn solid reason to celebrate.
Celebrations have been held every anniversary, and even back in the 1700's they partied similarly to what we do now: a 13 gun salute (for the 13 colonies) at sunrise and sunset, a big dinner, parades, speeches, fireworks, and red, white, & blue EVERYWHERE! Most of the traditions started there ring true today. Honestly, the only major changes since 1800 were in 1870 when July 4th became an UNPAID federal holiday and in 1938 when it switched to a PAID holiday.
Have a safe and happy Independence Day tomorrow. Celebrate being an American and hold your drinks high in toast to the freedoms we enjoy here. Take a moment to remember that no matter how bad you think it is here, it's much worse in many other places. Remember that even though government makes us crazy sometimes, the fact that we can complain openly about that government is a privilege not many have the luxury of enjoying.
I'll let Bill Pullman close this blog out for me. Bill...
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