Founding Father John Adams got our national celebration of Independence Day only half right. Yes, we celebrate with “pomp and parade,” but not on the day he predicted.
The Second Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain on July 2nd, 1776. The next day, John Adams wrote home to his wife Abigail:
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
Independence Day has come to be celebrated not on the second day of July but on the fourth, and nowhere is it celebrated with more pomp and parade, or with more impressive displays of guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations than on the National Mall.
Happy Fourth of July to all friends of the National Mall, and to all Americans!
You can learn more about this year’s Fourth of July activities in the nation’s capital at “20+ Ways to Celebrate Independence Day in Washington D.C.” and explore the history of Independence Day celebrations at The National Park Service website.
Photo Gallery: Fireworks on the National Mall
Fireworks lighting up the night sky near the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. (Library of Congress)
Tags: fireworks, National Mall
