Independence Day(独立日,即是美国的国庆）
It’s America’s biggest birthday party!The Fourth of July,or Independence Day,celebrates the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation.
WHY DO WE CELEBRATE ON JULY 4TH?
In the summer of 1776,the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia,Pennsylvania.The congress members represented the 13 British colonies in America.After years of clashes with Great Britain over taxes and political freedoms,the Continental Congress took a bold and dangerous step.
On July 4,1776,the congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence.This document declared that the American colonies no longer belonged to Great Britain.They were free and independent states.Since then,Americans have celebrated July 4th as the nation’s birthday.
HOW DO AMERICANS CELEBRATE THE FOURTH OF JULY?
Americans celebrate the Fourth of July with parades,sporting events,patriotic speeches,and picnics.Communities all over the country light up the night sky with fireworks to honor the nation’s birthday.In 1941,the U.S.Congress proclaimed the Fourth of July a national holiday.
John Adams,the second president of the United States,worked tirelessly for America’s independence.He wrote to his wife Abigail from Philadelphia in July,1776.Adams believed Americans would celebrate the Fourth of July “with pomp and parade,shows,games,sports,guns,bells,bonfires,and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other,from this time forward forever more.” Adams was right!
