Is July 4th just another barbeque holiday for you and your family? Yes, it’s great to have a day off to spend time with family and friends, but July 4th has such important history behind it. Share that history with your children before you leave home.
Just what happened on that wonderful day? Our country back in the 1770s consisted of 13 colonies ruled by Great Britain. The colonists became very angry because Great Britain began imposing many taxes on them without their knowledge or representation in Parliament, and began protesting against this. In response, Great Britain sent in soldiers to quash all resistance.
The colonists chose representatives to meet to discuss what they would do. In 1774, a group of representatives formed the First Continental Congress and met in Philadelphia to begin discussing becoming independent from Great Britain. They made a list of demands to King George and began forming militias to defend themselves. The British did not back down and sent in more soldiers. In 1776, a group of men led by Thomas Jefferson were asked to write an explanation as to why the colonists wanted independence. This document became known as the Declaration of Independence. It refers to God five times, as they believed God was very important in guiding them to establish our new country and God had created us all to be free and equal.
On July 4, 1776, Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence. This day has been remembered and celebrated since.