Fourth Of July: All You Need To Know About America's Independence Day

Fourth of July 2024: Every year, parades, fireworks, carnivals, fairs, political speeches and numerous ceremonies mark this day. Americans also wear red, white and blue gear.

This year, the Fourth of July will mark the 278th anniversary of the founding of the United States (US). Since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, this day has been an important federal holiday in the US. In 1776, on this day, American colonies gained independence from British rule. Since then, every year, parades, fireworks, carnivals, fairs, political speeches and numerous ceremonies mark this day. Americans also wear red, white and blue gear.

The Declaration states, "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."

Though the American colonies gained independence on July 4, 1776, the process began two days ago, on July 2, 1776, when the Continental Congress voted to declare independence. On that day, 12 of the 13 American colonies officially decided to separate from British rule. Among those who pronounced the American colonies as free states included Thomas Jefferson, a renowned statesman and diplomat at that time, who later became the third President of America (1801-09), and Benjamin Franklin, a political philosopher.