The most important patriotic holiday to all United
States citizens is Independence Day, or the
Fourth of July. Independence Day cele-
brates the historical signing of the
Declaration of Independence by the
Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. With
this act, the thirteen colonies formed a new
nation, the United States of America.

Celebrations continued for several days. The
people of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania cheered as
citizens spread the news that the Declaration of Independence had been
signed. The Liberty Bell was rung at Independence Hall and a statue of King
George III was taken down and destroyed. That night people lit bonfires and
danced in the streets in celebration.

Today, the Fourth of July is celebrated with family picnics, parades, fireworks
and political speeches. It is a happy, joyous time but also one in which we
should all remember the sacrifices our forefathers made in order to give us this
great nation.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
The Declaration of Independence is a document that declares the rights of a
new nation. It explains the feelings of the colonists and lists the wrongs they
suffered under British rule. It also states that the people of the United States
will fight their own wars, make their own peace and carry on their own trade.
With the signing of this document, the United States became an independent,
free nation.

The first person to sign the Declaration was John Hancock, president of the
continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson, with the help of Benjamin Franklin
and John Adams, wrote the document. Fifty-six men signed the declaration. In
signing, each man pledged to his new country "our lives, our fortunes, and our
sacred honor."

You might like to read a few sentences of the Declaration of Independence to
your students.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the con-
sent of the governed."

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