In a letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams wrote that July 2nd should be the date celebrated with great pomp and parade, and would be one of the most memorable in the history of America.
Well, he was right about the celebrations and the historical implications, but he was wrong on the date. Since the Declaration of Independence was officially ratified on July 2, 1776, when and how did the celebration change to July 4?
Thanks for any info.
The Continental Congress approved the resolution calling for independence made by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on July 2, 1776. Following that approval, they began consideration of the Declaration of Independence, the document setting forth their reasons for adopting Lee's resolution. The Declaration of Independence was approved (and dated) July 4, 1776. For this reason only we celebrate July 4 as Independence Day; the Declaration was a tangible, dated document to which new Americans could point and say, "This is why we're doing what we're doing." Furthermore, after making such a statement as the Declaration, there was no going back. They either succeeded in the revolution, or they would all hang as traitors to the King.
So while Adams saw meaning in the actual vote for independence, the nation embraced the ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence, a bold statement of the right of the people to overthrow their rulers in the face of persistent injustice.
As a related question, why do the US and other countries tend to celebrate their independence on the day they proclaimed independence rather than when they actually became independent countries (which for the US could be September 3, when the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783)?