Independence Day

There are holidays that celebrate presidents and there are holidays that celebrate religious traditions but there’s only one holiday that truly celebrates everything that’s great about America: Independence Day!  Celebrated every July 4, Independence Day is a time to celebrate the birthday of that sometimes misunderstood but always loved entity: America!

The 4^th of July is always a festive time.  Fireworks light up the summer sky, barbecues are going full tilt as friends and family come to celebrate and pledge their allegiance to the holiday that is Independence Day.  A time to consider everything that’s great about the country and get your patriotic groove on, the only shame is that the Fourth of July has yet to reached the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day in which everybody has to wear something that is red, white, and blue!  You know, like the flag, which is celebrated on Flag Day.

July 4^th is a time of great celebrations.  Kids learn about the origins of their country, parents are able to make apple pie and special recipes that are a little bit more American than the other meals that they make throughout the year, and Americans are joined together in laughing at King George III, the fool that let America go.

So, what are the origins of Independence Day you ask?  It isn’t a celebration of the Will Smith summer blockbuster that came out on this day several years ago (in which America valiantly fights against aliens) but rather a celebration of the Declaration of Independence.  Now, the Declaration of Independence is a vital document in American history, as it essentially cut the cord between America and England.  Much like a teenager that tells their parents that they love them but it’s essential that they have to go their own way from now on, America by declaring its independence on July 4 elevated their status from lowly British colony to British equal.