The Fourth of July

Readers, this is the first special article of July! Some of these articles will not be as long as the ones I post each Monday, and they might have a different format than the rest of my posts. Because Independence Day in America was on Tuesday, this post is about the 4th of July.

July 4, 1776 is the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From 1765 to 1783, the American colonists were having a war with their mother country of Great Britain. The beginning of the war wasn’t fought with weapons, but with declarations. This was not an uncommon thing; the French and British revolutions also began with declaring their rights or listing grievances against the government. The colonists declared the Declaratory Act against the unfair laws that Prime Minister George Grenville imposed upon them. The Sons of Liberty, the Continental Congress, and the Committees of Correspondence were only some of the groups formed to ensure equal rights for the Americans. Although the colonist tried to avoid war at all costs, the British oppression was becoming unbearable as King George III continued to discriminate against them including forcing the colonists to house British troops. Two hundred forty-one years ago, the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress on July 4th. This began a fight for freedom that would eventually affect all of world history.

Today the fourth of July is celebrated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, patriotic songs, stars, stripes, and decorations in red, white, and blue. But in the early years of American independence, thirteen-gun salutes and music contests were other ways this holiday was celebrated.

The fourth of July is not only Independence Day in America, but it also has great significance in the Philippines. On July 4, 1946 which is called Republic Day, America ceded independence to the Philippines. America possessed the Philippines as a colony since the Spanish lost the Spanish-American War. America also played an important role in protecting the Philippines from the growing Japanese empire in World War II. American troops were stationed in the Philippines under both General Douglas MacArthur and his father, Arthur MacArthur. The Filipinos also have family gatherings to celebrate this day in their history.

And now I am bringing this article to a close with a question. Why are you thankful for your country’s independence (many countries declared their independence from another) and how do you celebrate it? Comment below and come back next Monday for another article.