Travers, Len. Celebrating the Fourth: Independence Day and the Rites of
Nationalism in the Early Republic. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press,
1997.
The United States observes no national holidays, that is, holidays mandated across all 50 states
by the Federal government. The United States Congress and/or President can only legally
establish an "official" holiday for its "federal" employees and the District of Columbia. States
and municipalities are free to adopt holidays enjoyed by the federal government or to create their
own. This can be accomplished in several ways, either through enactment of a law issued by a
state legislature or by an executive proclamation, that is, by order from a state governor. As an
act of confirmation, it is possible as well that a city may enact an ordinance regarding the
celebration of the Fourth of July or any other holiday. As
stated in theWorld Almanac (1998, p. 315), however, "in practice, most
states observe the federal legal public holiday." The first "official" state celebration of the
Fourth as recognized under resolve of a legislature occurred in Massachusetts in 1781. Boston
was the first municipality (city/town) to officially designate July Fourth as a holiday, in 1783.
Alexander Martin of North Carolina was the first governor to issue a state order (in 1783) for
celebrating the independence of the country on the Fourth of July. In 1870 the first federal
legislation was passed giving federal employees a "day off" from work, but without pay.
Its interesting to note as well that when July 4th fell on a Sunday, the anniversary was
celebrated in most places on Monday, July 5:
List of years that July 4 fell on Sunday: 1779, 1784, 1790, 1802, 1813, 1819, 1824, 1830, 1841,
1847, 1852, 1858, 1869, 1875, 1880, 1886, 1897, 1909, 1915, 1920, 1926, 1937, 1943, 1948,
1954, 1965, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1993, 1999
However, some towns opted to celebrate Independence Day on Saturday, July 3, but that was not
as common. In 1830, for example, Columbia, South Carolina, celebrated the Fourth on July 3
and in 1852, Marblehead, Massachusetts, also celebrated on July 3.
It was ex-Senator
Robert
C. Winthrop of Massachusetts who suggested that July 3 be substituted for July 5, when
the Fourth fell on Sunday. In a letter he wrote in 1858 which was read on July 4 at a celebration
in Boston, he stated his rationale:
You are aware that Washington, having arrived at Cambridge on the 2d,
assumed command of the American Army for the first time on the 3d of July, 1775. Would it not
be a most agreeable and worthy coincidence, if, when the intervention of a Sunday shall cut off
the customary routine of these celebrations, we could combine the commemoration of those two
great events: Washington taking command of the Army in 1775, and Congress declaring our
Independence in 1776(New York Times, 9 July 1858, 4)
In 1999, July 4th fell on a Sunday and when certain towns opted to
celebrate on July 3rd, protests were heard. In Mesa, Arizona, where the Sertoma Club has
staged an annual fireworks show for the last 35 years, they moved the event to Saturday
causing hundreds of complaints. The Club "cited poor turnout and the reluctance of its
Mormon members and volunteers to work when the holiday falls on a Sunday." In Fairfax,
Va., the parade and fireworks occurred on Saturday because it would have been difficult to get
volunteers to work on Sunday. In Rockledge Borough, Pa., town officials held the city parade
on Saturday in respect for Sunday church services. Some residents were angry about that.
The Declaration of Independence, unanimously declared by the thirteen United States of
America, was adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The task
of getting the document signed began on August 2, 1776. Congress made sure that all states
would have access to an authenticated copy of the Declaration by ordering a special printing
of multiple copies on January 18, 1777.
The first celebrations occurred shortly after the declaration in various locales along the
Eastern
Seaboard. Much of the tradition inherent in the way we celebrate today was evident
almost from the beginning. Sound, spectacle, and sentiment played an important role in that
tradition.
Celebrations in 1776
In Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence was publicly read on July 8. In Williamsburg, a
celebration occurred on 25 July. Included in the demonstration of joy were readings of the
Declaration of Independence "at the Capitol, the Courthouse, and the Palace, amidst the
acclamations of the people," a military parade, and the firing of cannon and
musketry (Virginia Gazette, 26 July 1776). Trenton, NJ proclaimed its
independence with a gathering of the militia and citizens: "The declaration, and other
proceedings, were received with loud acclamations" (Ibid., 26 July 1776). In New York, the
"Declaration of Independence was read at the head of each brigade of the continental army
posted at and near New York, and every where received with loud huzzas and the utmost
demonstrations of joy." Of particular note , "the equestrian statue of George III" on display
in New York was torn down. The report stated that the lead from which the monument was
made was to be turned into bullets (Ibid., 26 July 1776).
Philadelphia, July 4, 1777
One of the most elaborate celebrations in 1777 and the first organized celebration of its kind
occurred in Philadelphia. This event had all of the elements of typical future celebrations--the
discharge of cannon, one round for each state in the union, the ringing of bells, a dinner, the use
of music, the drinking of toasts (it would subsequently be traditional to have one toast for each
state in the union), "loud huzzas," a parade, fireworks, and the use of the nation's colors, in this
case the dressing up of "armed ships and gallies" in the harbor. The following is a description of
the event as printed in a local newspaper:
Yesterday the 4th of July, being the Anniversary of the Independence
of the United States of America, was celebrated in this city with demonstration of joy and
festivity. About noon all the armed ships and gallies in the river were drawn up before the city,
dressed in the gayest manner, with the colours of the United States and streamers displayed. At
one o'clock, the yards being properly manned, they began the celebration of the day by a
discharge of thirteen cannon from each of the ships, and one from each of the thirteen gallies, in
honour of the Thirteen United States.
In the afternoon an elegant dinner was prepared for Congress, to which were invited the
President and Supreme Executive Council, and Speaker of the Assembly of this State, the
General Officers and Colonels of the army, and strangers of eminence, and the members of
the
several Continental Boards in town. The Hessian band of music taken in Trenton the 26th of
December last, attended and heightened the festivity with some fine performances suited to
the
joyous occasion, while a corps of British deserters, taken into the service of the continent by
the
State of Georgia, being drawn up before the door, filled up the intervals with feux de joie.
After
dinner a number of toasts were drank, all breaking independence, and a generous love of
liberty,
and commemorating the memories of those brave and worthy patriots who gallantly exposed
their lives, and fell gloriously in defence [sic] of freedom and the righteous cause of their
country.
Each toasts was followed by a discharge of artillery and small arms, and a suitable piece of
music by the Hessian band.
The glorious fourth of July was reiterated three times accompanied with triple discharges
of
cannon and small arms, and loud huzzas that resounded from street to street through the city.
Towards evening several troops of horse, a corps of artillery, and a brigade of North Carolina
forces, which was in town on its way to join the grand army, were drawn up in Second street
and
reviewed by Congress and the General Officers. The evening was closed with the ringing of
bells, and at night there was a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with
thirteen rockets on the commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated. Every thing was
conducted with the greatest order and decorum, and the face of joy and gladness was universal.
Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through
America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen, and amen
(Virginia Gazette, 18 July 1777).
This section of the database contains numerous events which can be directly tied to a
celebration. Please note that many historic events that had nothing to do with celebrations of
the Fourth of July occurred coincidentally on that date. Those events are not included in the
chronology. All of the information below is based on primary
sources. Readers should feel free to use this information but credit must be given to this
site and its author James R. Heintze. Contact
[4] => jheintz@american.edu for additional
information or questions you might have. For additional year-to-year events, click on the
Chronology of Musical Events in the Index.
1776- The Pennsylvania Evening Post is the first newspaper to print the
Declaration of Independence, on 6 July 1776; the Pennsylvania Gazette
publishes the Declaration on 10 July and theMaryland Gazette
publishes the Declaration on 11 July; the first two public readings of this historic document
include one given by John Nixon on 8 July at Independence Square, Philadelphia, and another
on the same day in Trenton; the first public reading in New York is given on 10 July; the first
public readings in Boston and Portsmouth, N.H., take place on 18 July; three public readings
take place on the same day (25 July) in Williamsburg; a public reading in Baltimore takes place
on 29 July; in Annapolis on 17 August at a convening of the convention, "unanimous"
support of the tenets of the Declaration are expressed
1777- At Portsmouth, N.H., Americans are invited by Captain Thompson to lunch on board
a Continental frigate; in Philadelphia, windows of Quakers' homes are broken because
Quakers refuse to close their businesses on holidays that celebrate American military victories;
the first religious sermon about Independence Day is given by Rev. William Gordon in
Boston before the General Court of Massachusetts
1778- From his headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J., General George Washington directs his army
to put "green boughs" in their hats, issues them a double allowance of rum, and orders a
Fourth of July artillery salute; at Princeton, N.J., an artillery salute is fired from a cannon
taken from Burgoyne's army; in Philadelphia, guns and "sky rockets" are fired, but candles are
not used for illuminations due to their scarcity; at Passy, France, John Adams and Benjamin
Franklin host a dinner for "the American Gentlemen and ladies, in and about Paris"; the first
Independence Day oration is given by David Ramsay in Charleston, S.C. before "a Publick
Assembly of the Inhabitants"; on Kaskaskia Island, Ill., George Rogers Clark rings a liberty
bell as he and his Revolutionary troops occupy Kaskaskia (under British rule) without firing a
shot; at Mill Prison, near Plymouth, England, Charles Herbert (of Newburyport, Mass.) and other
captured American prisoners of war celebrate the Fourth of July by attaching home-made
American flags to their hats which they wear the entire day
1779- The Fourth falls for the first time on a Sunday and celebrations take place on the
following day, initiating that tradition; in Boston, continental ships fire a "grand salute" from
their cannons; in Philadelphia, although 14 members of the Continental Congress object to
having a celebration, an elegant dinner at the City Tavern, followed by a display of fireworks, is
given.
1781- The first official state celebration as recognized under resolve of a legislature occurs in
Massachusetts; at Newport, R.I., the militia hosts French officers at a celebration dinner
1782- At Saratoga, N.Y., the "officers of the Regement" of the Continental Army celebrate
with toasts and a "volley of Musquets at the end of each"
1783- Alexander Martin of North Carolina is the first governor to issue a state order (18 June)
for celebrating the Fourth and the Moravian community of Salem responds with a special
service and Lovefeast; Boston is the first municipality to designate (by vote on 25 March) July
4 as the official day of celebration; the governor of South Carolina gives a dinner at the State
House in Charleston and at the celebration there, 13 toasts are drank, the last one
accompanied by artillery guns firing 13 times and the band playing a dirge lasting 13 minutes
1786- In Beaufort, N.C., the Court House burns down, the result of an errant artillery shell during
a celebration there
1787- John Quincy Adams celebrates the Fourth in Boston where he hears an oration
delivered at the old brick meeting house and watches no less than six independent military
companies process
1788- Fourth celebrations first become political as factions fight over the adoption of the
Federal Constitution; pro- and anti-Constitution factions clash at Albany, N.Y.; in
Providence, R.I., an unsuccessful attempt is made by 1,000 citizens headed by William Weston
judge of the Superior Court, on July 4, to prevent the celebration of the proposed ratification of
the
Constitution; in Philadelphia, a "Grand Federal Procession," the largest parade in
the U.S. to date, occurs under the planning of Francis Hopkinson; in Marietta, Ohio, James M.
Varnum delivers the first Independence Day oration west of the Alleghany Mountains, in what
was then known as the Northwestern territory
1791- The only Fourth of July address ever made by George Washington occurs at Lancaster,
Pa.
1792- In Washington, a cornerstone for the "Federal Bridge" is laid by the Commissioners of the
Federal Buildings
1794- Forty Revolutionary War soldiers celebrate near Nicholasville, in Jessamine County,
Kentucky, at the home of Colonel William Price
1795- A mock battle engagement with infantry, cavalry and artillery units occurs in
Alexandria, Va.; in Boston, the cornerstone for the Massachusetts State House is laid by Paul
Revere and Gov. Samuel Adams
1796- In Baltimore, the Republican Society meets at Mr. Evan's Tavern
1798- George Washington attends the celebration in Alexandria, Va., and dines with a large
group of citizens and military officers of Fairfax County there; in Portsmouth, N.H., the keel of
the 20-gun sloop of war Portsmouth is laid
1799- The "musical drama," The Fourth of July or, Temple of American
Independence (music by Victor Pelissier?), is premiered in New York; George
Washington celebrates in Alexandria, Va. by dining with a number of citizens at Kemps
Tavern there.
1800- In New York, the first local advertisements for fireworks appear and at the Mount
Vernon Garden there a display of "a model of Mount Vernon, 20 feet long by 24 feet high,
illuminated by several hundred lamps" is presented; in Philadelphia, the U.S. Marine Band,
directed by Col. William Ward Burrows, provides music for the Society of the Cincinnati
celebration held at the City Tavern; in Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth College student Daniel
Webster gives his first Fourth of July oration in the town's meeting house
1801- The first public Fourth of July reception at the White House occurs; in Marblehead, Mass.,
an oration is given by Joseph Story at the New Meeting House; in Boston, the frigates
U.S.S. Constitution and U.S.S. Boston and the French corvette
Berceau fire artillery salutes
1802- The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is formally opened
1803- An Italian band of musicians perform for President Jefferson at the Executive Mansion
1804- The first Fourth of July celebration west of the Mississippi occurs at Independence
Creek and is celebrated by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
1805- In Charleston, S.C., the American Revolution
Society and the Society of the Cincinnati meet at St. Philips Church
1806- Two Revolutionary officers march in a parade in Bennington, Vt.
1807- In Richmond, Skelton Jones delivers a funeral oration over the men of the U.S.
Chesapeake who lost their lives due to an attack by the British warship
Leopard, two weeks earlier; in Petersburg, Va., people march through the streets
with an "effigy of George III on a pole" and later burn the effigy on Centre Hill; the eagle which
crowns the gate of the Navy Yard in Washington City is unveiled to the sound of a federal salute
and music.
1808- Citizens of Richmond, Va., resolve that only liquor produced in this country will be
drunk on the Fourth of July
1810- An entertainment, "Columbia's Independence," is presented at the Washington Theatre
in Washington City; in New Haven, Conn., the citizens there have a "plowing match"
1814- The Fourth is celebrated in Honolulu, Hawaii, with a dinner, and artillery salutes are
fired from ships in the harbor there; Uri K. Hill sings an "Ode" written especially for the
occasion in New York while Commodore Stephen Decatur, an honorary member of the State
Society of the Cincinnati, dines with that association in Tontine Coffee House there; the
Declaration of Independence is printed in the 4 July edition of the Philadelphia
Aurora General Advertiser; in Ashburton, England, American prisoners there
celebrate the Fourth of July and drink 18 toasts
1815- The cornerstone for Baltimore's Washington Monument is set; Richard Bland Lee reads
the Declaration of Independence in the Hall of the House of Representatives at the Capitol; in
New York, officers from the French frigate Hermione sit on reviewing
stands in front of City Hall in order to review parading troops while a group of "patriotic tars"
tries to "haul down the British colors" but they are dispersed by the police; in New York harbor,
a "steam vessel of war" complete with cannons is tested successfully
1816- The Declaration of Independence is read by W.S. Radcliff in the Hall of the House of
Representatives at the Capitol; John Binns of Philadelphia proposes publishing a separate
edition of the Declaration of Independence at $13 a copy
1817- Near Rome, New York, a ground breaking ceremony occurs for the construction of the
Erie Canal; only four original signers of the Declaration of Independence are alive on
this anniversary: Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia; John Adams, of Massachusetts; Charles
Carroll, of Maryland; William Ellery, of Rhode Island
1818- A banquet celebration takes place in Paris at the Restaurant Banclin with guests former
Senator James Brown of Louisiana, the American Minister to Paris, and Gen. Lafayette in
attendance; a separately published facsimile edition (price $5) of the Declaration of
Independence, issued by printer Benjamin O. Tyler, occurs in Washington City immediately
prior to the Fourth for use on that holiday; at Fell's Point in Baltimore, the steamboat
United States is launched from the shipyard of Flannigan and Beachem
1819- An early and rare example of an Independence Day oration presented (to a group of
women) by a woman ("Mrs. Mead") occurs on July 3 at Mossy Spring in Kentucky
1820- Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins attends ceremonies in New York and the
Constellation is decorated with numerous national and foreign flags in New
York harbor; Charles Carroll attends the celebration at Howard's Park in Baltimore with his
copy of the Declaration of Independence in hand; the Georgetown Metropolitan
issues an editorial criticizing President Monroe for closing the Executive Mansion on
Independence Day
1821- President Monroe is ill and the Executive Mansion is closed to the public; John Quincy
Adams reads an original copy of the Declaration of Independence at a ceremony held at the
Capitol; in Philadelphia, 90-year-old Timothy Matlack, who "wrote the first commission" for
General George Washington, reads the Declaration of Independence
1822- At Mount Vernon, Judge Bushrod Washington announces that he will no longer allow
"Steam-boat parties" and "eating, drinking, and dancing parties" on the grounds there; in
Saratoga County, New York, 5000 citizens and 52 soldiers of the Revolution assemble there to
celebrate the Fourth on the field where Gen. Burgoyne surrendered (October 17, 1777); in
Nashville, Tennessee, the state's governor, William Carroll, presents a sword to General Andrew
Jackson and both give speeches
1823- An elaborate ceremony takes place at Mount Vernon with Vice President Daniel D.
Tompkins in attendance
1824- A ballet performance titled the "Patriotic Volunteer" is performed at the new theater at
Chatham Garden, in New York; in Poultney, Vermont, 200 men celebrate the day by repairing a
road, after which the "ladies of the neighborhood" serve them a "plenteons repast"
1825- President John Q. Adams marches to the Capitol from the White House in a parade
that includes a stage mounted on wheels, representing 24 states; in Boston, members of the
military share breakfast at the Exchange Coffee House; in Brooklyn, New York, the cornerstone
for the Apprentices' Library is laid and Lafayette is in attendance
1826- 50th anniversary ( referred to as the "Jubilee of Freedom" event) of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence and two signers of the document, Presidents John Adams and
Thomas Jefferson, die; in Providence, R.I., four men who participated in the capture of the
British armed schooner Gaspeduring the Revolutionary War ride in a
parade; in New York, 4 gold medals are struck by the Common Council: 3 are sent to the
surviving signers of the Declaration, and the 4th is given to the son of Robert Fulton, in
honor of the "genius in the application of steam"; in Lynchburg, Va., among the "aged patriots
of '76" at the celebration there are General John Smith and Captain George Blakenmore; in
Newport, R.I., Major John Handy reads the Declaration of Independence, "on the identical
spot which he did 50 years ago," and was accompanied by Isaac Barker of Middletown, "who
was at his side in the same place fifty years before."; in Worcester, Mass., at the South Meeting
House, Isaiah Thomas stands on the spot where he originally read the Declaration of
Independence in 1776; the Frederick-Town Herald
of Frederick, Md., decides to no longer publish dinner toasts which they believe are
"generally dull, insipid affairs, about which few feel any interest"; in Salem, N.C., the Moravian
Male Academy is dedicated; in Quincy, Mass., Miss Caroline Whitney gives an address on the
occasion of the presentation of a flag to the Quincy Light Infantry; in Arlington, Va.,
Washington's tent, the same which the General used at the heights of Dorchester in 1775, is
erected near the banks of the Potomac and is used for a celebration
1827- The State of New York emancipates its slaves; the play "The Indian Prophecy: A National
Drama in Two Acts," by George Washington Parke Custis, has its Philadelphia premiere at the
Chestnut Street Theater; the Ohio Canal opens in Cleveland with Governor Allen Trimble
arriving there on the first boat, State of Ohio
1828- Charles Carroll, last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, participates in
a Baltimore celebration and assists in the laying of the "first stone" of the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad; the frigate Constitution arrives at Boston returning from a cruise
and fires "a salute in honor of the day"; the ground-breaking ceremony of the C & O Canal,
north of Georgetown, takes place with President John Quincy Adams officiating
1829- In Augusta, Maine, the corner stone of the "New State House" is laid; the cornerstone of
one of the Eastern locks of the C & O Canal (near Georgetown) scheduled to take place is
cancelled due to rain; the embankments at the summit of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal are
opened and water fills the canal, with large crowds and the Mayor of Philadelphia Benjamin W.
Richards in attendance; in Cincinnati, an illuminated balloon, 15 feet in diameter, is sent aloft; in
Washington, D.C., General Van Ness, on behalf of the Board of Aldermen and Common Council
there, presents a written statement of confidence to President Andrew Jackson, who is
experiencing some unpopularity in the city
1830- Columbia, S.C. celebrates the Fourth (occuring on the sabbath) on 3 July; Vice
President John C. Calhoun is in Pendleton, S.C., at the Anniversary celebration there and
proposes a toast ("consolidation and disunion" are "two extremes of our system") that stirs
controversy
1831- Former President James Monroe dies on 4 July: "It is stated that when the noise of firing
began at midnight, he opened his eyes inquiringly; and when the cause was communicated to
him, a look of intelligence indicated that he understood what the occasion was," and President
Jackson directs that at all military posts, "officers wear crape on their left arm for six months";
in
Washington, two separate politically partisan ceremonies are held: the "National Republican
Celebration," for the friends of Henry Clay, and "The Administration Celebration," for the
friends for the re-election of President Jackson; in Washington, Francis Scott Key gives an
oration in the Rotunda of the Capitol; in Washington, Jacob Gideon, Sr., "who had officiated
during the Revolutionary War as trumpeter to the commander-in-chief, and had acted in
that capacity at the surrender at York Town" sounds "a revolutionary blast" at a dinner of the
Association of Mechanics and other Working Men; in Alexandria, Va., a ground breaking
ceremony for the Alexandria branch of the C&O Canal occurs, with G.W.P. Custis and town
mayor John Roberts providing the speeches; in Georgetown, a " beautiful new packet boat,
called the George Washington," commences her first run on the C&O Canal; in Charleston,
S.C., citizens march in a parade carrying banners "on which were inscribed the names of
battles fought in the Revolution, and in the late War"; John Quincy Adams delivers a Fourth
of July oration at Quincy, Mass.; the tribe of Pequoad indians celebrate the Fourth of July
with a wardance at their wigwam, south of Alexandria, Va.
1832- New York has a subdued Fourth of July celebration due to a cholera epidemic occurring
there; in Washington, Henry Clay attends the National Republican Celebration that's held on
the bank of the Potomac River
1833- In Philadelphia, the cornerstone of the Girard College for Orphans is laid; the
National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.) publishes the text of the Constitution
1834- A man who was at Lexington and Bunker Hill attends ceremonies in New Haven,
Conn., wearing the original coat he had worn then; in New York, an "Anti-Slavery Society"
meeting is held at the "Chatham street Chapel," and is attended by both blacks and whites; at
the Hermitage Inn in Philadelphia, David Crockett gives a traditional Fourth of July address;
in Washington, D.C., the first Trades Union celebration occurs
1835- In Boston, George Robert Twelves Hewes, shoemaker, is honored at a celebration as the
last survivor of the Boston Tea Party; the National Intelligencer prints the
text of "Washington's Farewell Address."
1837- Oberlin College students celebrate by holding anti-slavery meetings
1838- In providence, Rhode Island, 29 veterans of the revolution take part in the procession
there; the White House is closed to the public, "the President has lately lost, by death, a near
relative"; in Charlottesville, Va., the Declaration of Independence is read from an "original draft,
in the handwriting of Mr. Jefferson"; at Fort Madison, Iowa, the well-known Native American
Black Hawk gives a Fourth of July speech
1839- In Hagerstown, Md., the only 2 surviving soldiers of the Revolutionary War there ride
in a carriage pulled by white horses; on Stanten Island in New York, between 20,000-30,000
children gather to celebrate the Sunday School Scholars National Jubilee there, while in the New
York harbor, 1000 ships converge, "all gaily dressed in honor of the day"; in Boston, 1500 men
gather at Faneuil Hall in support of a Temperance Reformation; in Norwich, Connecticut, at a
sabbath school celebration there, one of the students reads excerpts from the Declaration of
Independence wearing "the identical cap" worn by William Williams (of that state) at the time
the latter signed the Declaration; the McMinnville Gazette (Tenn.) publishes a
Declaration of Independence for an "Independant Treasury" and the text is reprinted in the D.C.
Globe; at Norfolk, an elephant "attached to the menagerie" there swims across the
harbor from Town Point to the Portsmouth side and back
1840- At Cherry Valley, N.Y., William H. Seward delivers a centennial anniversary oration
on the anniversary of that town's settlement; in Congress, in the House of Representatives,
Congressman Levi Lincoln of Massachusetts presents a proposal that the House decides on
claims by Revolutionary soldiers for their relief; in Portsmouth, N.H., a large pavilion erected in
the form of an amphitheatre collapses throwing nearly a thousand people to the ground, but no
one is killed; in Providence, R.I., a "Clam Bake" is held and 220 bushes of clams are eaten
1841- In New York, the steamship Fulton is anchored off the
Battery and displays fireworks and "glittering lamps" in honor of the day
1842- In New York harbor, the U.S. North Carolina, the frigate
Columbia, and the English frigate Warspite exchange
artillery salutes, and in the harbor as well, Sam Colt's "sub-marine experiment" for blowing
up enemy ships is tested successfully; in Washington, D.C., the "History of the Declaration of
Independence," by William Bacon Stevens is published in the National Intelligencer,
(4 July 1842, 1-4) and the "Grand Total Abstinence Celebration," made up of several
temperance societies, takes place there; at Parrott's Woods, near Georgetown (D.C.), the
speaker's platform collapses, throwing D.C. Major William W. Seaton, G.W.P. Custis, and
others to the ground, but no one is injured
1843- The beginning of the annual tradition of lighting the Spring Park with candles in the
Moravian community of Lititz, Pa., begins; in Boston, Charles Francis Adams, son of
President John Quincy Adams, gives an oration in Faneuil Hall, and is the first celebration in
this building; in Washington, D.C., the laying of the cornerstone of the Temperance Hall
takes place; in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., a church burns to the ground as a result of a firecracker
"carelessly thrown by a boy"
1844- In Charleston, S.C., the faculty and trustees of Charleston College march in a city-wide
"Festival of the Teachers and Scholars" parade; "Liberty Pole Raisings" and flag raisings in
support of the Whigs political party take place in Louisville, Ky., Wheeling and Harper's Ferry,
W.V., and Montrose, Pa.
1845- In Washington, D.C., the cornerstone of Jackson Hall is laid, and on the grounds south of
the Executive Mansion, twelve rockets are accidentally fired into the crowd, killing James
Knowles and Georgiana Ferguson and injuring several others; in Ithaca, N.Y., three persons are
killed by an exploding cannon; ex-president John Tyler gives a speech at William and Mary
College; in Nashville, Tennessee, the corner-stone of the State House is laid
1848- In Washington, the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument takes place
with the President of the United States, Dolley Madison, and other persons of distinction
in attendance; Hon. Josiah Quincy presents a speech in Boston (he was the orator of the day
there 50 years before on 4 July 1798)
1849- The first Fourth of July celebration ever in Sacramento, California, takes place
1850- The laying of a block of marble by the "Corporation" in the Washington Monument in
the District of Columbia takes place; Newburgh, N.Y., dedicates "Old Hasbrouck House,"
where George Washington had his Revolutionary War headquarters, as a national monument
1851- In Washington, President Fillmore assists in the laying of the "cornerstone of the new
Capitol edifice" while Daniel Webster gives his last Fourth of July oration there; in Trappe,
Pa., a monument to the memory of Francis R. Shunk, late Governor of Pennsylvania, is
unveiled and George W. Woodward presents an address there; Greenville, S.C., holds an anti-
secession celebration with 4,000 persons in attendance
1852- In Rochester, N.Y., on 5 July, Frederick Douglass presents his famous speech, "What to
the Slave is the Fourth of July?"; Marblehead, Mass., celebrates the Fourth on July 3
1853- At a celebration dinner at Washington Hall in Springfield, Mass., Rev. Jonathan Smith,
a chaplain in the Revolutionary Army, is cheered; in Abbington, Mass., a "Know Nothing
Anti-Slavery celebration" takes place; in Norwalk, Conn., showman P.T. Barnum opens the
ceremony there with an address before a crowd of 10,000; in Philadelphia, at the Chestnut
Street Theatre, the comedietta, "My Uncle Sam," is performed, and the cornerstone of the
West Philadelphia Institute is laid, while some 10,000 persons visit Independence Hall,
especially opened to the public on this occasion, and each person attempts to sit in the chair of
John Hancock; in New York, 95-year-old Daniel Spencer, "an old patriot of the Revolution,
hailing from Canajoharie, N.Y.," participates in the celebration; Williamsburg, Va., fires off a
national salute of 32 guns by Captain Taft's Company of Light Artillery; 500 residents of
Baltimore go on an excursion to Annapolis, Md., and while there, some of them fight with a
group of Annapolitans resulting in 2 persons killed, and several injured; in Providence, R.I., the
original carriage used by George Washington when he was in Providence is used in a parade
there
1854- Henry David Thoreau gives a "Slavery in Massachusetts" oration at Framingham Grove,
near Boston; in Farmingham, Mass., 600 abolitionists meet and watch William Lloyd Garrison
burn printings of the Constitution of the U.S. and Fugitive Slave Law, "amid applause and
cries of shame"; the mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, is mobbed by a group of citizens after
putting City Council member Joshua S. Valentine in jail for setting off firecrackers
1855- In Worcester, Mass., citizens demonstrate against the city officials there who refuse to
fund the town's Fourth of July celebration; in Columbus, Ohio, a parade of firemen, Turners and
other societies, turns into a riot, resulting in one dead and several injured
1856- The "inauguration" of an equestrian statue (29 feet high) made by Henry K. Brown of
George Washington is dedicated in New York
1857- In Milwaukee, the Declaration of Independence is read publicly in German by Edward
Saloman; in Boston at the Navy Yard, the frigate Vermont is set on fire when "a
wad" from an artillery salute "was blown on board of the hull"; near Lexington, Kentucky, a
corner stone of a national monument to the memory of Henry Clay is laid
1858- Illinois Central Railroad workers attempt to launch a "monster balloon" called the
"Spirit of '76" in Chicago; in Brooklyn, N.Y., the corner-stone of the Armory is laid; Oliver
Wendell Holmes gives a speech in Boston; at Niagara Falls, N.Y., at the celebration of the
opening of the hydraulic canal, the dam gives way, but no one is injured; Jefferson Davis gives a
4th of July speech on board a steamer bound from Baltimore to Boston and declares "this great
country will continue united"
1859- In Grahamville, S.C., Robert Barnwell Rhett gives a speech proposing the creation of a
Southern nation; in Washington, a convicted murderer publicly reads the Declaration of
Independence at the prison there
1860- The Alexandria Gazette publishes a chronology of that Virginia town's
notable 4th of July events from 1800-1860; in Jamestown, N.Y., the Museum Society, made up
of children between the ages of ten and fifteen, take charge of the celebration there, because most
of the adults are not in town, but in Randolph, N.Y., celebrating
1861- President Lincoln sends an address to both houses of Congress regarding the suspension of
Federal government functions by secessionists in the South; Galusha A. Grow is the only
Speaker of the House of Representatives ever to be elected and take office on the 4th of July; an
artillery salute of 15 guns is fired at Camp Jackson near Pigs Point, Va., in honor of the Southern
States that have declared and are declaring their independence; in Baltimore, the citizens there
present a "splendid silk national flag, regimental size," to the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment; in
Washington, D.C., 29 New York regiments are reviewed by the President at the White House; Gov. John A.
Andrew of Massachusetts celebrates the 4th with the 1st Massachusetts Regiment at Camp Banks near Georgetown, D.C.
1862- A pyrotechnic depiction of the battle between the Monitor and
Merrimac takes place in New York
1863- In Concord, N.H., former president Franklin Pierce addresses 25,000 persons at the
"Democratic Mass Meeting" held there; in Buffalo, N.Y., 17 veterans of the War of 1812
march in a parade there; at Annapolis, a "flag of truce" boat filled with Secessionist women
from Philadelphia and elsewhere leaves on July 3rd and travels south; in Gettysburg, Pa., as
the Rebel troops are making their escape from the great battle just fought there, someone throws
firecrackers among their ambulances carrying the wounded and causes a stampede of the
horses and panic among the troops; in Columbus, Ohio, Randal and Aston's store has 8,500
American flags to sell for the holiday; in Newport, Rhode Island, the Fourth of July celebration
is repeated on Tuesday, July 7, due to the news regarding the Union victory at Vicksburg; Gov.
Zebulon B. Vance of North Carolina gives a speech in Granville county, urging "the people to
continue their assistance in prosecuting the war until the independence of the Confederate States
was established"
1864- Gov. Andrew Johnson of Tennessee addresses the citizens of Nashville; in Washington,
D.C., Secretary William Seward, riding in a carriage, narrowly avoids serious injury when a
rocket, set off by a young boy, strikes him above his eye
1865- One of the first "Freedmen" celebrations occurs, in Raleigh, N.C.; Lincoln's
"Emanicipation Proclamation" is publicly read in Warren, Ohio, and Belpassi, Oregon; the National Monument
Association lays the cornerstone of the Soldier's Monument in Gettysburg; in Boston, a statue
of Horace Mann is "inaugurated"; the Huntsville Advocate (Alabama) prints
news about celebrations in Gettysburg and New York; the celebration by the Colored
People's Educational Monument Association in memory of Abraham Lincoln occurs in
Washington, D.C. and is the first national celebration by African-Americans in the U.S.; in
Albany, N.Y., 100 "tattered" Civil War battle flags are presented to the state and Gen. Ulysses
S. Grant is in attendance; in Savannah, Ga., Governor James Johnson addresses the citizens
there telling them that slavery is dead and that they should renew their allegiance to the
Government; at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., J.C. Hamilton, son of Alexander Hamilton, reads the
Emancipation Proclamation; Union General William Tecumseh Sherman participates in a 4th of
July civic celebration in Louisville, Ky., and witnesses a balloon ascension there; in Hopewell,
New Jersey, a monument to the memory of John Hart, a signer of the Declaration of
Independence, is dedicated and New Jersey Governor Joel Parker delivers an oration
1866- General George G. Meade watches 10,000 war veterans parade in Philadelphia; General
William T. Sherman gives an address in Salem, Ill.; the Nashville Banner, in an
editorial, urges its citizens not to celebrate the Fourth; one of the worst fires ever to occur on
Independence Day takes place in Portland, Maine, the blame placed on an errant firecracker
1867- The cornerstone of the new Tammany Hall is laid in New York while the cornerstone
for a monument to George Washington is laid at Washington's Rock, N.J.; the
"Emanicipation Proclamation" is read in Portland, Maine; the Illinois State Association
celebrates on the grounds of the Civil War battle field at Bull Run in Virginia; in Washington,
two members of the House of Representatives are arrested for violating a city ordinance
prohibiting the setting off of firecrackers in the public streets; Friends of Universal Suffrage meet
in South Salem, Mass., and Susan B. Anthony reads the Declaration of the Mothers of 1848; a
freight train carrying a "large quantity of fireworks" on route to a celebration in Springfield,
Mass. derails near Charleston and the train is completely wrecked
1868- President Andrew Johnson issues his Third Amnesty Proclamation in Washington,
D.C. directed to those who participated in the Civil War; the Declaration of Independence is
read in both English and Spanish at a public celebration in Santa Fe, New Mexico; in
Richmond, some black "societies" parade, "but there is no public celebration by the whites"; in
Groton, Mass., the Lawrence Academy, is destroyed by fire due to a firecracker "thrown on the
piazza by a boy"; in Buffalo, St. John's Episcopal Church burns to the ground due to a rocket
that exploded in its spire
1869- A monument dedicated to George Washington is unveiled in Philadelphia; in New
York, 350 Cuban "patriot" residents parade "to evoke sympathy for the Cuban revolutionary
cause" and the Army of the Potomac Society meets to establish itself as a permanent
organization; blacks celebrate the Fourth on July 3rd in Columbia, S.C.; the Declaration of
Independence is read in English and German at a public celebration at Diamond Square in
Pittsburgh
1870- President Ulysses S. Grant participates in Fourth of July opening exercises in
Woodstock, Conn.; in Newark, N.J., 13 young ladies dressed to represent the 13 original states,
proceed in a carriage; in Marysville, Pa., at a picnic held by black military companies, a riot
ensues with several persons shot
1871- The New Saenger Hall is dedicated in Toledo, Ohio; in Vienna, American Minister
Hon. John Jay gives a Fourth dinner hosting the ambassadors of the Vienna Court; the first
public reading of the Declaration of Independence on the grounds of Mount Vernon takes
place, the reader is John Carroll Brent, a member of D.C.'s Oldest Inhabitants Association; at
Framingham Grove, Mass., the Massachusetts Woman's Suffrage Association holds a mass
meeting and activist Lucy Stone and others give speeches there
1872- A monument representing an infantry soldier of the Civil War is unveiled in White
Plains, N.Y.; Richmond, Va., publicly celebrates the Fourth, the first time in 12 years; Ella
Wheeler (Wilcox), a poet, is presented a badge of the Army of Tennessee Society at its meeting
in Madison, Wisconsin; in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vice President Schuyler Colfax gives an
oration
1873- In Philadelphia, the transfer of Fairmount Park for use by the Centennial Commission
in preparation for the International Exhibition and Centennial Celebration in 1876 takes
place; in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mme. Anna Bishop Troupe performs in the Tabernacle before
a crowd of 6,000, including Brigham Young and "U.S. officials"; in Buffalo, N.Y., a "large
delegation" of native Americans and Canadians attend a ceremony there; Mark Twain gives a
Fourth of July address in London
1874- In Saybrook, Conn., the Thomas C. Acton Library is dedicated; the New York
Times publishes an editorial acknowledging the increased interest in the South for
celebrating the Fourth and encourages Southern towns to do just that; in Lancaster, Pa., the
Soldiers and Sailors Monument at Penn Square is dedicated
1875- In Augusta, Georgia, the white military celebrates the Fourth, the first time in that
town since the Civil War; several blacks and possibly one white are killed when a fray erupts at a
Fourth of July celebration held at the Court House in Vicksburg, Miss.; on the Centennial
Grounds in Philadelphia, the Order of B'nai B'rith hold "exercises" incident to the breaking of
the ground for their proposed statue to religious liberty; at Atoka, "Indian Territory," a
celebration of the Fourth by Native Americans takes place with 3,000 persons participating;
Homer, Louisiana, celebrates the holiday on Saturday, July 3
1876- Centennial celebrations (many are three-day celebrations, 3-5 July) occur throughout the
United States and abroad; in Philadelphia at Fairmount Park, two separate celebrations
include the German societies unveiling a statue of Baron Alexander von Humboldt and the
dedication, including an address provided by John Lee Carroll, Governor of Maryland, of the
Catholic Temperance Fountain; also in Philadelphia, Bayard Taylor's "National Ode, July 4,
1876," is read at Independence Square while Susan B. Anthony and others belonging to the
National Woman's Suffrage Association present and read their Declaration of Rights for
Women at the Centennial Celebration; in Philadelphia as well, General Sherman reviews the
troops as they parade; in Washington, D.C., at the First Congregational Church, the poem
"Centennial Bells," by Bayard Taylor is read by the poet; the long-standing tradition of Navy
vessels participating in July 4th celebrations in Bristol, R.I., begins with the presence there of
the U.S. sloop Juniata; in Washington, 11 couples celebrate the Fourth by
getting married, Congress appoints a committee of 13 to attend the celebration of the Oldest
Inhabitants Association there, and 300 artillery blasts are fired, 100 at sunrise, 100 at noon, 100
at sunset; in Richmond, Va., the U.S. and Virginia flags are raised on the Capitol for the first
time on the Fourth in 16 years and the Richmond Grays (an African-American regiment) are in
Washington celebrating; in New York, on the eve of the Fourth, an Irish couple name their
newborn child American Centenniel Maloney, in honor of the day; in New Orleans, Louisiana,
the monitor Canonicus fires a salute from the Mississippi River; in Hamburg, South
Carolina, an incident that results in a massacre of African-Americans occurs; in Montgomery,
Alabama, the
Declaration of Independence is read by Neil Blue, the oldest citizen of Montgomery, and the
only survivor of those who voted for delegates to the territorial convention which adopted
the Constitution under which Alabama was admitted into the union in 1819; in Joliet, in Quincy,
Illinois, the cornerstone of the new Court House is laid; in San Francisco, a mock engagement
with the iron-clad Monitor occurs and there is a parade there that is over 4 miles
long, with 10,000 participants; in Chicago, at the Turners and Socialists celebration, a revised
Declaration of Independence from the socialist's standpoint is distributed; in Freeport, Illinois
and Chicago, the Declaration of Independence is read in both English and German; in Evanston,
Illinois, a centennial poem "The Girls of the Period" is publicly read by Mrs. Emily H. Miller; in
Wilmette, Illinois, a woman (Miss Aunie Gedney) reads the Declaration of Independence; in
Savannah, Georgia, a centennial tree is planted, accompanied by appropriate speeches; in Utica,
New York, 30 veterans of the War of 1812 join in a parade along with two of Napoleon's
soldiers
1877- In Woodstock, Conn., Roseland Park is dedicated and Oliver Wendell Homes reads his
poem, "The ship of state, above her skies are blue"; in New York, at a ceremony held at the
Sturtevant House, 89-year old Daniel Lopez, who fought on board the frigate
Constitution, dances a jig
1879- Frederick Douglass addresses the citizens of Frederick, Md.; at Sunbury, Pa., Gov. Hoyt
unveils a statue of Col. Cameron; in Charleston, S.C., the Lafayette Artillery, "a white militia
company," fires an artillery salute, the first since 1860; in Montgomery, Ala., a letter from
Jefferson Davis is read at the public celebration there; at Lake Walden, Mass., a "grand
temperance" celebration is held, with Henry Ward Beecher, speaker
1880- Gen. James A. Garfield, is guest speaker at the dedication of the Soldiers' Monument in
Painesville, Ohio; in Boston, a statue of Revolutionary War patriot Samuel Adams is unveiled; in
San Francisco the first daytime fireworks ever exhibited in the country takes place at
Woodward's Gardens
1881- In Washington, D.C., the Chief of Police issues an order banning all fireworks in respect
to the shooting of President Garfield while, at the same time, prayer meetings for the
President's recovery are held in lieu of Fourth celebrations throughout the country
1882- Buffalo, N.Y., celebrates its 50th anniversary as the laying of a cornerstone for a
soldiers' monument takes place there; the chapel of Dutch Neck Church in Princeton Junction,
N.J. is dedicated
1883- The Declaration of Independence is read in Swedish at a celebration at Bergquist Park in
Moorhead, Minn.; seven hundred Yankton and Sautee Sioux participate in a Fourth
celebration in Yankton, S.D.; a monument to George Cleaves and Richard Tucker, "the first
settlers of Portland," is unveiled in Portland, Maine; in Woodstock, Conn., John Greenleaf
Whittier's poem, "Our Country," is read at the public celebration there; Buffalo Bill Cody's
Wild West Show opens at North Platte, Neb.; former President Rutherford B. Hayes is in
Woodstock, Conn., attending the ceremony and giving a speech; in Plainfield, N.J., a
Revolutionary cannon (dating to 1780), known as the "one-horn cannon," is fired
1884- The formal presentation of the Statue of Liberty takes place in the Gauthier workshop
in Paris; General George B. McClellan is honored at a celebration in Woodstock, Conn.;
Samuel Bayard Stafford attends the Veterans of the War of 1812 as a visitor and carries the old
flag of the Bon Homme Richard and the boarding cutlace of Paul Jones and
Bloodgood H. Cutter; Cambridge, Md., celebrates its 200th anniversary of its founding; in
Swan City, Colorado, miners blow up the town's Post Office because they are not
supplied with fireworks
1885- Gen. Abraham Dally, 89-year old veteran of the War of 1812 raises the flag at the
Battery in New York while the French man-of-war La Flore, decorated with
flags and bunting, holds a public reception on board in New York harbor; in Jamestown,
N.Y., a mock Civil War battle is fought; municipal officials in Salt Lake City and heads of the
Mormon Church there order all American flags flown at half-mast in the city to emphasize their
religious freedoms, and Californians are angered by the act
1886- Portland, Maine, celebrates its 100th anniversary of the town's incorporation
1887- First Fourth of July celebration in Yellowstone National Park takes place; the
New York Times issues a call for a new Declaration of Independence for
commercial freedom in the world markets; in Providence, R.I., a statue of Union Army General
Ambrose Burnside is unveiled
1888- A commemoration of Francis Scott Key and dedication of the first monument of him in
the West is unveiled in San Francisco; in Amesbury, Mass., a statue of Josiah Bartlett, the first
signer of the Declaration of Independence, is unveiled
1889- President Harrison gives a speech in Woodstock, Conn. and is the third President to be
in Woodstock on July 4th
1890- In Chattanooga, Tenn., 2,000 Confederate veterans march in a parade, without
Confederate flags, while four generals (Gen. George B. Gordon, La.; Gen. W.S. Cabell, Tex.;
Gen. E. Kirby Smith, Tenn.; Gen. "Tige" Anderson, Georgia) give speeches there; in Portland,
Maine, General Sherman and other generals attend the Army of the Potomac celebration there
1891- A Tioga County, N.Y., soldier's monument is unveiled in Owego, N.Y. and a speech by
Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy, Secretary of the Navy, is given there; in Plainfield, N.J., a cannon
used in the War of 1812 is fired; in Newark, N.J., at Caledonian Park, 5,000 German
Saengerbunders, accompanied by an orchestra of 200 pieces, sing the "Star-Spangled Banner";
on this day, Cheraw, S.C., is the first town in that state to celebrate the Fourth in over 30
years; the Seventy-Second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers from Philadelphia dedicates a
bronze monument in Gettysburg; in Buffalo, N.Y., the Society of Veterans parade in honor of
the Army of the Potomac; the cornerstone of the new schoolhouse of St. Paul's Parish in New
York is laid
1892- In New York, the City Hall and Federal Building inadvertently fly American flags of 42
stars and 35 stars, respectively, not the new flags of 44 stars representing the full number of
states; in New York, ground is broken for the statue of Columbus, a gift from Italy to the
city; in New York harbor, the Brazilian cruiser Almirante Barroso is gayly
decorated with a 40-foot American flag; Quincy, Mass. celebrates its 100th anniversary
1893- The World's Fair continues in Chicago as a new liberty bell is rung there; Auburn,
N.Y., celebrates its Centennial anniversary of its settlement in tandem with the Fourth; Julia
Ward Howe reads poetry at a Woodstock, Conn. celebration; in Cape May, N.J., ex-
President Harrison gives a patriotic speech on the rights and duties of citizenship; in the
Battery in New York, a gunner is put under arrest for inaccurate counting of a 21-gun national
salute in which 23 rounds were fired; a bronze statue made by Thomas Ball of P.T. Barnum is
unveiled in Bridgeport, Conn.
1894- In Huntington, N.Y., a memorial to Captain Nathan Hale is unveiled; in Highlands,
N.J., a white-bordered flag denoting universal liberty and peace waves for the first time; Vice
President Stevenson gives a speech on the historic battlefield of Guilford Court House in
Greensboro, N.C.; in Cleveland, the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument takes place
and Gov. William McKinley gives a speech at the ceremony; at the state fair of Illinois, the
corner stone of the exposition building is laid; in Montevideo, Minnesota, the Camp Release
Monument, commemorating the Dakota Conflict of 1862, is dedicated
1895- At Chautauqua, N.Y., women are dressed in yellow as the first "woman's day" is
celebrated in tandem with Independence Day; Katharine Lee Bates' poem "America" is first
published on this day in the Boston Congregationalist, a weekly church publication
1896- In Brooklyn, N.Y., a bronze statue of Maj. Gen. Gouverneur Kemble Warren,
commander of the Fifth Corps of the Army of the Potomac, is unveiled
1897- The New York Times prints a facsimile edition of the Declaration of
Independence in its issue of 4 July 1897; American newspaper correspondents are barred from
attending a Fourth celebration at the U.S. Consulate in Havana, Cuba; in Avondale, Ohio,
Thomas C. McGrath unveils a statue of Thomas Jefferson "on the lawn in front of his beautiful
residence on Rockdale and Wilson Avenues"; the U.S. flag flies over the White House on July 5,
despite the President's absence (for years the flag which flies over the White House had been
hauled down each time the President left the White House)
1898- At Washington Grove, Md., a few miles outside of Washington, D.C., Mrs. J. Ellen
Foster is the orator of the day and gives a traditional Fourth of July address; in Auburn, Calif.,
the Placer County Courthouse is dedicated; in Waynesburg, Pa., the cornerstone for the Soldier's
and Sailor's Monument for Civil War veterans of Greene County is laid
1899- "Horseless-carriages" take part in a Fourth celebration in Dyersville, Iowa; in Helena,
Montana, the cornerstone of the new State Capitol is laid; Gov. Theodore Roosevelt gives
speech at his home town, Oyster Bay, N.Y., as other speakers predict he will be the next
President; in Plymouth, England, all the British warships there are decorated with flags and a
21-gun salute is fired; in London, Mark Twain addresses the American Society at their dinner
there
1900- Hoboken, N.J., does not celebrate the Fourth in respect for the loss of life in a massive
fire a few days previous; President McKinley reviews parade in Canton, Ohio; a memorial to
Thomas Jefferson is presented to the people of Kentucky in Louisville by the brothers Isaac W.
and Bernard Bernheim and is dedicated on this day; a statue in honor of the Marquis de
Lafayette, a gift of American school children to France, is presented by Ferdinand W. Peck,
President of the Lafayette Memorial Commission, to President Emile Loubet, in Paris; in
Whitehouse, Ohio, a Whitehouse Park Statue, for those who fought in the Civil War, is dedicated
1901- Spanish-American war veterans march in a Nome, Alaska parade; a fiery explosion is set
off at the summit of Pike's Peak in Colorado; Chinese minister Wu Ting-Fang gives
Independence Day speech at Independence Square in Philadelphia and predicts "this Republic
will become the greatest power upon the earth"; in Jackson, Mississippi, the Declaration of
Independence is read, the first time in 40 years; in Courtland, Kansas, the cornerstone of a
proposed monument to mark the spot where the American flag was first raised (by Zebulon
M. Pike in 1806) over the territory of Kansas is laid; in Santa Cruz, Calif., Minnie Cope, a
woman, reads the Declaration of Independence
1902- 200,000 persons see President Roosevelt give speech in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh
1903- President Roosevelt gives speech in Huntington, N.Y., as the town celebrates its 250th
anniversary and sends the first message over the Pacific Cable to Governor Taft at Manila,
Philippines; in Lindale, Georgia, the Atlanta 5th Regiment engages in a sham military battle
1904- George W. Vanderbilt forbids sale of fireworks and "any kind of demonstration" in
Biltmore, N.C.
1905- Vice President Fairbanks gives a speech at the Centennial Celebration of Champaign
County in Urbana, Mich.; a 13 x 7-foot pen-and-ink copy of the Declaration of Independence,
created by William V. Peacon, is presented to the Tammany Society in New York; in Helena,
Montana, an equestrian bronze statue of Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher, leader of the Irish
Brigade in the Civil War and later secretary and acting governor of Montana is unveiled on the
Capitol grounds
1906- Believing that Oklahoma is now a state, many towns in the U.S. fire 46-gun salutes
1907- Mark Twain gives Fourth of July address at a meeting of the American Society in London;
in New York, 10,000 Italians celebrate the new Giuseppe Garibaldi Memorial, in honor of the
Italian patriot's birthday
1908- In New York, Robert E. Peary's ship, Roosevelt,is "dressed up" with
flags, including the "farthest north flag," with holes in it, due to "some part of the flag at some
charted spot in the Polar regions," in honor of the Fourth; Saratoga, N.Y., enforces that city's
first ban on the sale and use of fireworks; in Bloomington, Indiana, the Monroe County
Courthouse is dedicated
1909- In Copenhagen, the Fourth is celebrated as part of Denmark's National Exposition,
with guests Crown Prince and Princess in attendance; Norwich, Conn., celebrates its 250th
anniversary of its settlement and 150th anniversary of its incorporation; Washington, D.C.,
Chicago, and Cleveland have their first "Safe and Sane" (that is, celebration free of injuries due
to fireworks and other explosives) celebrations
1910- A bronze statue of George Washington is unveiled at Independence Hall in Philadelphia;
St. Louis, and Albany, N.Y., have their first "sane Fourth" celebrations
1911- Santa Fe , N.M., celebrates with a historic pageant commemorating the reconquest of
Santa Fe by Don Diego de Vargas in 1693; a Parade of Nations takes place at City Hall in
Philadelphia and Arthur Farwell's Hymn to Liberty is performed by the
United German Singers as part of that celebration; President Taft reviews "a sane Fourth of
July parade" in Indianapolis; Charles W. Eliot, President Emeritus of Harvard, calls for a new
Declaration of Independence "as a means of resisting the oppressive effects of industrial
government," at Faneuil Hall in Boston
1912- The new national flag with 48 stars is "formally and officially endowed"
1913- In Tucson, Ariz., "the flag flying above the Mexican Consulate" is "torn down and
trampled on" while at Moose Jaw, Saskatchawan, American flags are also trampled on; a forest
fire is "started by fireworks" and "rages on" on French Mountain near Lake George, N.Y.;
Princeton, N.J., celebrates its centennial anniversary of the town's incorporation; New Salem,
N.D., and its German community there celebrates it first Fourth of July event in 5 years
1914- At Put-in-Bay, Ohio, a large crowd witnesses the laying of the cornerstone of the Oliver
Hazard Perry victory monument; veterans of the Battle of Gettysburg meet in that town;
President Wilson gives an address on the meaning of the Declaration of Independence and
utters the famous words, "Our country, right or wrong" (attributed to Commodore Stephen
Decatur) at Independence Hall in Philadelphia; 5,000 persons gather at Grant's Tomb at
Riverside Park in New York while a Franco-American ceremony takes place at Lafayette's
Tomb at Picpus Cemetary, Paris
1915- "Americanization Day" is celebrated in Kansas City, Mo., while 220 new citizens sing
"America" and other patriotic songs; in New York, at the base of the Statue of Liberty,
Margaret Wycherly reads an address, "Appeal for Liberty," at a gathering of 5 women suffrage
organizations there; in San Francisco, William Jennings Bryan gives a speech on "Universal
Peace"; in Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell leaves Independence Hall for a 6-month tour,
winding
up at the Panama-Pacific Exposition; in Paris, for the first time in the history of the American
Chamber of Commerce celebration there, 9 members of the French Cabinet attend the
Independence Day banquet.
1916- In Washington, D.C., President Wilson gives a speech at the dedication of the new
American Federation of Labor building; the opening of the Cape May, N.J., harbor as a naval
base is celebrated there; the centennial celebration of Peekskill, N.Y., is celebrated and
includes a speech by ex-Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan
1917- Citizens of Paris celebrate the Fourth as General Pershing receives American flags from
French President Poincare
1918- In New York, a "pageant parade" with 40 nationalities represented takes place; a "parade
of nations" with nearly 100,000 foreign-born persons takes place in Philadelphia; President
Wilson gives speech at an "international Fourth of July celebration" at Mount Vernon; in
Washington, D.C., foreign-born citizens with nearly 5,000 performers in costume present a
pageant, "Democracy Triumphant," in front of President Wilson and government officials at
the Capitol; nearly 100 American military ships are launched at U.S. ports "to help build the
ocean bridge for the allied fighting forces in Europe"; the London Daily Telegraph
cables Fourth of July greetings to 20 leading American daily newspapers, as well as
President Wilson, "as an indication of the good-will . . . all England feels towards America";
the New York Times publishes a full-page facsimile of the Declaration of
Independence; the first official Toronto, Canada, Fourth celebration ever takes place as the
American flag flies overCity Hall there; the city of Florence, Italy, confers the honor of "the
freedom of the city on President Wilson"; in Indianapolis, an Americanization Day parade,
featuring primarily immigrants, takes place
1919- One of the peaks in the Black Hills, near Deadwood, S.D., is renamed Mt. Theodore
Roosevelt in honor of the former President; Panama celebrates its first official Fourth of July
1920- At the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., General John J. Pershing receives an
engraved sword from the City of London in commemoration of his military achievements in
Europe
1921- A large anti-prohibition parade takes place in New York while British music and jazz
are forbidden as 50 bands march in an American Association for the Recognition of the Irish
Republic parade there; in Des Moines, Iowa, the National Educational Association meets in the
City Auditorium there and participants hear Governor of Iowa Nathan E. Kendall present a
speech; in San Francisco at the Civic Auditorium, 4000 persons listen to a reading of
Washington's Farewell Address
1922- In Atlanta, messages from President Harding and Gov. Davis of Ohio are read as a
bronze memorial tablet to President McKinley is unveiled near the Peace Monument in
Piedmont Park; in Gettysburg, an enactment of Pickett's charge takes place by the Fourth
Brigade of the U.S. Marines using modern armaments; in Lenox, Mass., the town presents a
historic pageant that depicts life 150 years ago; in Constantinople, a tablet honoring David
Porter, the first American Minister to Turkey (from 1831 to 1843) is unveiled; in Washington,
D.C., the German flag is hoisted above the German Embassy, the first time since February
1917 when U.S. German relations were severed; in Exeter, N.H., the Park & War Memorial is
dedicated
1923- President Harding addresses citizens of Portland, Ore. and is initiated into the Cayuse
Tribe at the Oregon Trail Celebration there
1924- President Coolidge addresses the national convention of the NEA in Washington, D.C.;
the Bureau for American Ideals presents an outdoor pageant, Our Own United States,
led by Irish baritone Thomas Hannon, at Columbus Circle, in New York; in Paris
at a luncheon at the "American Village," Gen. Pershing is a guest of the American Olympic
team; in Geneva. Switzerland, a tablet erected to the memory of President Woodrow Wilson is
unveiled on Quay Wilson; the Alumni Lodge, which had been the original Seminary stable made
of bricks from the Maryland 1676 State House, is dedicated at St. Mary's College, in St. Mary's
City, Maryland
1925- As part of national Defense Day exercises, 50 U.S. military planes fly over New York
City as the Declaration of Independence is read from one of the planes, transmitted by radio
and broadcasted over radio station WOR; Chili declares this year's July 4 as a national holiday
as a tribute to the U.S.; the Women's Peace Union presents their "Declaration of
Independence from War" speech at Battery Park, in New York
1926- The 150th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence takes place
(4-5
July) throughout the nation; President Coolidge plants a willow tree (the same kind of tree
near the grave of George Washington at Mount Vernon) on the South Jersey exposition
grounds in connection with the opening of the Delaware River bridge), on 5 July, and gives
speech in Philadelphia at the Sesquicentennial Exposition there; in Charlottesville, Va., at the
grave site of Thomas Jefferson, Rt. Rev. William T. Manning, Episcopal Bishop of New York,
gives address on the occasion of Jefferson's death 100 years previous; in Budapest, Hungary, as
church bells toll, Count Albert Apponyi gives a Fourth of July gratitude speech; in
Philadelphia at Christ Church on 5 July, President Coolidge reads the names of 7 signers of
the Declaration of Independence on a bronze replica of a tablet that is unveiled there by 6
young women descendants of the signers and the National Amateur Press Association has its
50th anniversary, the first meeting having taken place on July 4, 1876; at Natural Bridge, Va.,
on 5 July, a bronze and
granite marker commemorating the granting of Natural Bridge by George III to Thomas
Jefferson on 5 July 1774 is unveiled; Monticello is formally dedicated on 5 July as the home is
"given to the nation"; the text of the only known letter written on the Fourth of July by a
signer (Caesar Augustus Rodney of Delaware) of the Declaration of Independence is printed in
the New York Times; near Chatham, N.J., on the banks of the Passaic
River, on 5 July, a grandstand collapses throwing people off, as a pageant depicting colonial
life and the birth of a new nation is being presented; in Washington, D.C., Rep. Harry R.
Rathbone of Illinois gives a celebration speech on 5 July in which he calls for home rule for
the District of Columbia; in the Bronx, N.Y., on 5 July, Congressman Anthony J. Griffin
gives a speech as part of a Sesquicentennial service held at the historic St. Ann's Episcopal
Church of Morrisania, known also as the Church of the Patriots; in London, American
Ambassador to England Alanson B. Houghton presents a bronze statuette of a bison on behalf
of the Boy Scouts of America to the Prince of Wales who receives the statuette on behalf of
the Boy Scouts of Great Britain; in Prague, Czech., near the American Legation, the American
flag is raised in the Sokol Stadium; London's Morning Post, "the only great
English newspaper of the present time that was in existence in 1776," prints a miniature
reproduction of the page in which the full text of the Declaration of Independence was printed
in its 17 August 1776 issue; at Valley Forge, Pa., the "Star-Spangled Banner" peace chime and
the National Birthday Bell are dedicated
1927- Comander Richard E. Byrd and other fliers are honored in Paris upon completion of
their transatlantic flight; 20,000 native and naturalized citizens eligible to vote attend a
reception at City Hall in New York as guests of the Mayor's Committee on Independence
Day Reception to First Voters; at Sea Gate in New York, Lindbergh Park is dedicated in
honor of the first New York to Paris flight by Charles A. Lindbergh; in Indianapolis, the
cornerstone of the central shrine of the WWI memorial is laid, with Gen. John J. Pershing
assisting; in Washington, D.C., the first official fourth of July ceremony at the Sylvan Theater
on the Washington Monument Grounds takes place; in Petersham, Mass., a tablet to mark the
capture in that town of the insurgents under Daniel Shays on February 4, 1787, is dedicated
1928- In New York, the last celebration of the Tammany Society in its Fourteenth
Street Hall (the historic Wigwam built in 1867 is sold) is held and Governor Alfred E. Smith
addresses its members; Edith Nourse Rogers, Republican Representative from the Fifth Mass.
District, is the orator for the Boston ceremony held in Faneuil Hall; in Hinsdale, Ill., the
Memorial Building is dedicated to those who served in the country's wars
1929- The first Fourth celebration headed by an American General Consulate (Paul
Knabenshue) takes place in Jerusalem; Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park near Hillsboro,
West Virginia, is dedicated
1930- Gutzon Borgium's 60-foot face of George Washington carved on Mount Rushmore's
granite cliff in South Dakota is unveiled; John H. Finley, associate editor of the New
York Times, presents a speech on interdependence among nations at a convention
of the National Education Association in Columbus, Ohio; in New Brunswick, N.J., the
birthplace of poet Joyce Kilmer is dedicated as a national shrine to his memory; documents
illustrating the development of the Declaration of Independence are put on display at the
Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
1931- James Grafton Rogers, Assistant Secretary of State, gives a "debt moratorium" speech at
the Sylvan Theater, on the Monument grounds in Washington, D.C.; Independence Hall Bell
in Philadelphia tolls 155 times, each representing a year of American independence; the
"Amizade" or friendship monument, presented by the people of the United States to Brazil, is
dedicated in Rio de Janeiro; in Greensboro, N.C., the sesquicentennial of the battle of
Guilford Court House is observed; at Stratford Hall, Stratford, Va., two signers of the
Declaration of Independence, Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, are honored
by the Society of Colonial Dames of Virginia and the Lee Foundation; the 25th anniversary of
the unveiling of the Washington monument in Budapest, Hungary, occurs; reknown Polish
pianist Ignace Paderewski gives a memorial statue, designed by Gutzon Borgium, of President
Wilson to the people of Poland; the Monroe Centennial Celebration, on the 10th anniversary
of the death of James Monroe, is broadcast by WJZ radio from the University of Virginia
campus, and William R. Castle, under-Secretary of State gives a speech, "Aspects of the
Monroe Doctrine"
1932- Ernest Lee Jahncke, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, presents a speech at Independence
Hall, Philadelphia; a group of Mexicans present a plaque honoring Dwight W. Morrow to the
United States, in Mexico City; at the Bronx, N.Y., a marble monument to Gouverneur
Morris, a signer and contributor to the Constitution, is unveiled at St. Ann's Protestant
Episcopal Church
1933- 150 United States warships decorated in multicolor signal bunting give a simultaneous
21-gun salute at 30 ports along the Pacific coast; 3,000 voices sing "My Old Kentucky Home"
and other melodies of Stephen Collins Foster in a tribute to the composer at My Old
Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, Kentucky; Morristown National Historical Park in
New Jersey is dedicated; in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Marine Bugle Corps sounds reveille
in front of the U.S. embassy in honor of the Fourth
1934- U.S. cruiser Houston on its way towards Panama gives a 21-gun salute
as a Navy tribute to President Roosevelt who is vacationing in the Bahamas; at Arlington
Cemetary, a plaque in memory of the Unknown Soldier is added to the permanent collection
of memorial trophies there; the first annual historical pageant of Southwestern Virginia takes
place in Roanoke, Va., before a crowd of 50,000; Takoma Park, Md., presents a pageant
depicting the tercentenary of Maryland and its history; fireworks set off cause a fire on the
grounds of the Statue of Liberty in New York; in Baton Rouge, La., members of the Louisiana
Legislature convene their meeting by tossing firecrackers at each other's feet; the Liberty Bell
in Philadelphia is rung by a hammer "guided by an electrical impulse transmitted from Rear
Admiral Richard E. Byrd's base in Antarctica"; the very first fireworks display in the Antarctica
occurs on when explorer Richard E. Byrd and his men set off firecrackers during a storm
with the temperature at 33 degrees below zero
1935- Near Tuscumbia, Ala., 30,000 persons attend Tennessee Valley Authority appreciation
day event; in Rockport, Ind., the Lincoln Pioneer Village is dedicated; Herbert Hoover gives
an address in Grass Valley, Calif., before a crowd of 6,000; in Paris, a plaque in honor of John
Paul Jones is unveiled at the Rue des Ecluses, the site where the Admiral was buried until
1905, while another plaque in honor of Benjamin Franklin and King Louis XVI of France,
both of whom signed the Treaty of Friendship on 6 Feb. 1778, is unveiled at the Hotel de
Coislin, the building where the event took place
1936- Near Boonsboro, Md., on South Mountain, a "109 year-old monument, believed to be
the first erected [on July 4, 1827] to the memory of George Washington" is rededicated; in
New York, Harry W. Laidler, Socialist candidate for Governor of New York, calls for a new
Declaration of Independence against "judicial tyranny and industrial autocracy"; the Long
Island Tercentenary Celebration in Suffolk County, N.Y., begins; at Hastings-on-Hudson,
N.Y., Farragut Day (135th anniversary of Admiral David Glasgow Farragut's birth) is
celebrated in tandem with the Fourth event; in New York, the Tammany Hall celebration
marks its 150th anniversary
1937- The Boy Scouts of America participate in a torchlight procession on the Washington
Monument Grounds as part of that organization's National Jamboree event; at Rebild
National Park in north Jutland, Denmark, Danes blow "lurs," great ancestral horns, for the
opening of the Fourth of July celebration held there
1939- In Andover, N.J., the Ordnungadienst, an American-Nazi group, marched in uniform
ignoring a New Jersey law prohibiting the wearing of foreign uniforms and giving alien salutes;
on the eve of Independence Day, officials in Buffalo decided that Buffalo's 175-foot Liberty Pole
must come down after 45 years
1940- President Roosevelt officially turns over the library bearing his name to the Federal
Government
1941- Chief Justice Harland Fiske Stone leads the nation in a live radio broadcast of the "Pledge
of Allegiance" from Estes Park, Colorado; Attorney General Robert H. Jackson broadcasts a
radio speech; the government of Australia officially recognizes the Fourth of July for the first
time in that country's history and orders the American flag to be flown on all government
buildings
1942- Fireworks in most cities are canceled due to war blackouts in place and many persons go
to work to do their part with the war effort; three "liberty" ships are launched in Baltimore; in
Philadelphia at the site of the Liberty Bell, 200 young men are inducted into the armed forces; in
New York, at a service of the "Eternal Light," flags of the allied nations are displayed in a
colorful V for victory and 408 air raid sirens are sounded at noon ; in
Washington, D.C., "civilian protective forces" are put on alert in case of emergency; in
Metuchen, N.J., 2,000 Danes celebrate in honor of the 30th anniversary of the celebration at
Rebild National Park in Denmark, that begun in 1912
1943- In Washington, D.C., John Clagett Proctor reads an original poem at the annual
Independence Day observance by the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia society
held in the Old Union Engine Fire House.
1945- In Berlin, the Stars and Stripes are hoisted over the Adolf Hitler Barracks in a formal
ceremony there, and to the sound of a 48-gun salute.
1946- Americans observe the first peacetime Fourth in five years, as occupation troops
celebrate with parades and artillery salutes in Germany and Japan; in Des Moines, Iowa, the
100th anniversary of Iowa statehood is celebrated
1947- In Washington, D.C., the Fourth ceremony at the Monument Grounds is televised for
the first time
1949- In Washington, D.C., a scene, "The Drafting of the Declaration of Independence," from
Paul Green's The Common Glory is presented on the Monument grounds.
1950- On the Monument grounds in Washington, D.C., John Foster Dulles, special consultant
to the State Department, gives a Fourth of July speech centering on the North Korean
invasion of South Korea; in Bled, Yugoslavia, Premier Marshal Tito of Yugoslavia attends a
Fourth of July party
1951- New Canaan, Connecticut celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding
1953- A draft of the Declaration of Independence, as part of a "Milestones of Freedom" exhibit,
goes on display today in the New York Public Library
1956- In Tokyo, an anti-American rally consisting of 10,000 persons demonstrating against
military bases in Japan occurs; the Association of Oldest Inhabitants in Washington, D.C. has
its final fourth of July celebration at the Old Union Engine House, an event first begun in
1909
1959- President Eisenhower gives a speech and lays the third cornerstone in the 166-year
history of the U.S. Capitol; the 49th-star American flag waves for the first time as Alaska
achieves statehood
1960- The 50th-star American flag waves for the first time as Hawaii is given statehood
1961- Fourth of July celebrations at the U.S. embassy in London and other world capitals are
reduced due to Kennedy administration limitations imposed on such holiday celebrations in
April; African-Americans stage "swim-ins" at public white swimming spots at Fort Lauderdale,
Fla. and Lynchburg, Va.; Manila (Philippines) stages its biggest celebration ever in honor of
General Douglas MacArthur; in Berlin, a 50-gun salute from Patton tanks takes place; in
Philadelphia, the flag that flies continuously over the grave of Betsy Ross (this country's first
American flag-maker) is stolen
1962- Former Vice President Nixon gives anti-communist address at a ceremony in Aalborg,
Denmark; at Congressional Cemetary in Washington, D.C., 200 persons gather to honor
Elbridge Gerry, Vice President of the U.S. in 1813-14 and the only signer of the Declaration of
Independence buried in Washington.
1963- The annual "Let Freedom Ring" tradition begins as houses of worship across the
country simultaneously ring their bells 13 times; Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies of
Australia gives speech at Monticello
1964- A reading of the Declaration of Independence by John F. Kennedy is broadcast over radio
airwaves; a group of 8 African-Americans representing the Congress of Racial Equality
demonstrate at the Truman Presidential Library in Independence, Missouri, shortly after former
President Truman addresses a crowd of several hundred persons; in Prescott, Arizona, Senator
Barry Goldwater rides a horse in the annual Frontier Days Rodeo parade there
1966- The first annual re-enactment of the historic 1783 celebration in Salem, N.C., occurs
there; an exact replica of Independence Hall (Philadelphia) is opened to the public at Knott's
Berry Farm in Buena Park, California (the opening is announced in the U.S. Congress on June
21, 1966); the Freedom of Information Act is signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson
1968- Anti-war demonstrations mar speeches given by Vice President Hubert Humphrey in
Philadelphia and Gov. George Wallace in Minneapolis
1969- Former President Harry S. Truman views a parade in his home town of Independence,
Mo.
1970- "Honor America Day," initiated by Rev. Billy Graham and Hobart Lewis of
Reader's Digest, is celebrated in Washington, D.C.
1971- In Manila, Ambassador Henry A. Byroade unveils a monument that commemorates the
destruction of American flags by U.S. personnel there 29 years earlier to prevent the Japanese
from finding them; in New York, the cast of 1776, a musical based on the
Declaration of Independence, reads the document in costume in Times Square
1972- In the Wall Street area of New York, tourists and others celebrate "July 4th in Old New
York"
1973- Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy give speeches at
a "Spirit of America" event in Decatur, Ala.; the 25th annual P.T. Barnum festival takes place
in Bridgeport, Conn., with Sen. Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. participating
1974- A reenactment of the Frederick Douglass speech "What to the Slave is the Fourth of
July?" takes place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; in Raleigh, N.C., thousands of
protestors march in hopes of rekindling the 1960s civil rights movement; "Bicentennial
Minutes," consisting of 732 one-minute television spots about the nation's heritage begins (and
is scheduled to be completed on 4 July 1976)
1975- A re-enactment of the shelling of Fort McHenry takes place there with some 40 ships
participating; Pulitzer-Prize winner Dumas Malone gives speech at Monticello
1976- The nation's Bicentennial occurs. At 2 p.m., the time the Declaration of Independence
was originally approved, churches and people throughout the nation ring bells to mark the
occasion; "Operation Sail" takes place in New York where millions watch hundreds of ships,
representing no less than 22 nations, parade; in Boston, the USS Constitution
fires her cannons, the first time in 95 years; the largest number of American flags (10,471) ever
flown over the U.S. Capitol in one day, for the purposes of sales and gifts occurs; a 13-month
long wagon train consisting of 2,500 wagons traveling across the country arrives at Valley
Forge, Pa.; in Baltimore at Fort McHenry, a re-enactment of the historic bombardment takes
place while citizens feast on a 69,000- pound birthday cake; President Ford gives a speech at
Valley Forge, Pa. and at ceremonies at Independence Hall in Philadelphia; the Miami Beach
Convention Center is converted into a Federal court room in order to naturalize 7,241 persons,
the largest group to be naturalized at one time in the history of the country; in Sparks, Nevada,
the James C. Lillari Railroad Park is dedicated; in New Bremen, Ohio, the New Bremen
Historical Museum is dedicated; in Clinton, Missouri, the Henry County Museum is dedicated;
in Charlotte, Michigan, the Eaton County Courthouse is dedicated
1977- Ku Klux Klansmen fight protestors at a rally held in Columbus, Ohio
1978- USS Constitution,the Navy's oldest commissioned ship, gives a 21-gun
salute at Charlestown, Mass.; in Port Tobacco, Maryland, a memorial plaque is placed at the
burial location of Thomas Stone, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
1979- In Toledo, Ohio, parades and other celebrations are postponed to Labor Day due to the
unsettled labor situation with police and fire fighters there
1980- Throughout the country, the Fourth is "observed amid somber reminders" of the 53
American citizens held hostage in Iran as residents in Cleveland plant 53 trees in their
memory
1981- President Reagan continues to recover from an assassin's bullet; the 14th
annual Yippies July 4th march to repeal anti-marijuana laws occurs in Washington, D.C.
1982- President Reagan gives welcome speech for astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly and Henry
W. Hartsfield as they land the space shuttle Columbia at Edwards Air
Force Base in California
1983- In Bladensburg, Md., a Korean and Vietnam War Memorial is unveiled; the 185-year-old
shipConstitution fires a 21-gun salute in Boston Harbor
1984- Top-Sail '84 takes place off the California coast and includes 26 tall ships, the largest
group of sailing ships to converge there in the twentieth century; Gatlinburg, Tenn. has the first
parade in the nation on this day it begins one minute after midnight; in Westville, Georgia,
residents re-enact a typical 1850s Fourth of July; in New York, the Statue of Liberty torch is
removed to make way for a new replacement, as a crowd of 4000 persons watch
1988- The rebuilt shuttle Discovery is taken to its launch pad in a ceremony
attended by 2,000 Kennedy Space Center workers; ; a Soviet delegation, headed by Nikolai
Sernenovich Kartashov, director of the Lenin State Library, watch the Fourth fireworks from
the top of the Library of Congress, with Librarian of Congress James Billington; a
star-studded tribute to Irving Berlin on
the West Lawn of the Capitol takes place
1989- American flag burnings and pro-American flag rallies occur in many places throughout
the U.S. while in Newport News, Va.., Vice President Dan Quayle defends the Bush
administration's proposal to ban flag-burning; July 4, 1989 is designated Lou Gehrig
Appreciation Day in honor of the 50th anniversary of Gehrig's farewell from baseball address
on July 4, 1939; a medal of liberty is awarded to Polish union leader Lech Walesa in
Philadelphia; in Boston, the pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square are
honored by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts; at a celebration
held at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, 7 Chinese students ask for political asylum in
the U.S.
1990- In Molalla, Oregon, at the 67th annual Giant Buckeroo Street Parade, Senator Bob
Packwood (R-Ore) and others wear yellow ribbons demonstrating their support of the timber
industry versus those supporting the preservation of endangered spotted owls; a colonial
re-enactment of Colonists versus the British occurs in front of the National Archives in
Washington, D.C.
1991- The National Civil Rights Museum is dedicated in Memphis, Tenn.
1992- The seven astronauts in the shuttle Columbia unfurl the Stars and
Stripes and chant "Happy Birthday, America" from space; the Navy unveils new aircraft carrier,
USS George Washington, with Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney giving a speech
1993- Johnny Cash recites his patriotic poem, "Rugged Old Flag," in Washington, D.C. while
citizens there hold flags in honor of prisoners of war and servicemen missing in action from
the Vietnam War
1994- A small but meaningful parade occurs in Sylmar, California, to lift the spirits of those who
suffered due to the devastating Northridge earthquake which occurred in the previous January; in
Hydes, Alaska, the municipal office building burns down after the village's supply of fireworks
catches fire; the village of Fishkill, N.Y., continues its 92-year-old tradition of having the
Declaration of Independence read in public; in Gloucester, N.J., a fireworks shell plunges into a
crowd of spectators injuring 40
1995- Dunbarton, N.H., welcomes five candidates (Bob Dole, Kansas; Senator Phil Gramm,
Texas; Patrick Buchanan; Bob Dornan, Calif.; Alan Keyes) for the presidential nominations;
in Oklahoma City, Okla., all flags are raised to full staff at 9:02 a.m., the exact time that the
Federal Building there was bombed (19 April); in Indianapolis, the Fourth is the final
Independence Day flag raising at Fort Benjamin Harrison, due to its closing in the Army's
downsizing; the first July 4th celebration occurs in Hanoi, Vietnam by 500 Americans since
the end of the War and on the site where the former American Consulate stood
1996- Fourth of July greetings are sent by astronauts on the shuttle Columbia
in space; near the Pautauxent River, in Maryland, President Clinton watches as an
eagle called "Freedom" is released; Secretary of Defense William Perry visits 18,000 troops in
Bosnia; the 20th anniversary with Willie Nelson at Luckenback, Tex. occurs; at Monticello, 66
persons representing 33 countries take the oath of naturalization; The Nix Ya Wii Warriors
Memorial on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon is dedicated and includes about 400
names of tribal warriors
1997- The U.S. Pathfinder spacecraft lands on Mars and President Clinton states, "On this
important day, the American people celebrate another exciting milestone in our nation's long
heritage of progress, discovery, and exploration"; the Boston Pops Orchestra celebrates the
centennial celebration of "The Stars and Stripes Forever March" by John Philip Sousa, in
Boston
1998- Many towns across Florida and Disney World as well cancel firework celebrations due
to risk of setting additional forest fires in that states's worst fire disaster in fifty years;
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) schedules oath-taking for 18,500 immigrants in
27 ceremonies, with the largest occurring in Los Angeles; the135th anniversary Gettysburg
battle reenactment takes place; four children who are descendants of Declaration signers tap
the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia 13 times, signaling the start of this year's continuing "Let
Freedom Ring" tradition, begun in 1963
1999- In Philadelphia, 112 people all born on the Fourth of July since 1900 gather in front of
Independence Hall for a "Photo of the Century" (co-sponsored by Kodak) and a historic
celebration reenactment of a July 4, 1899 celebration occurs at Rittenhouse Square (includes
speeches by "President McKinley" and "Theodore Roosevelt"), while a re-enactment of a
British Navy attack on Fort Mifflin takes place (on July 3) and Kim Dae Jung, President of
South Korea, is given the 1999 Philadelphia Liberty Medal on behalf of his work for freedom
in South Korea; in Chicago, the Chicago Historical Society celebrates its 40th annual 4th of
July celebration; in Havre de Grace, Md., town officials dedicate a memorial exhibit at the
Susquehanna Museum to the 232 Harford County residents who died in World War I and II
and the Korean and Vietnam Wars; Kaskaskia Bell State Historic Site on Kaskaskia Island, Ill.,
celebrates it 30th annual Independence Day celebration honoring the first ringing of its liberty
bell on July 4, 1778; in Louisville, Kentucky, Waterfront Park is dedicated; in Rockford, Ill., a
granite war memorial is dedicated in Veterans Park; the 89th annual Travis (Staten Island, NYC)
parade, "billed as the 'oldest continuous' such parade in the country," takes place
2000- In New York, the largest assemblage of ships ever at one event takes place as "Operation
Sail 2000" and includes some 150 tall sailing ships from more than 20 nations and an 11-mile
line of warships with more than two dozen naval ships from around the world as the sixth
"International Naval Review" (among the honored guests are President Clinton and Secretary of
Defense William Cohen); in Washington, there is a "National Independence Day Parade," an
annual "Capitol Fourth" concert at the Capitol, and the Declaration of Independence is read in
front of the steps of the National Archives and a Revolutionary War battle re-enactment takes
place there following a brief speech by John W. Carlin, Archivist of the United States; in
Orlando at Disney World, a giant 1 and a half-ton, 24 by 13 foot cherry cobbler that looks like
the Star-Spangled Banner is dished out to all; at Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson,
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright presents a speech at the 38th annual Independence Day
Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony as more than 80 persons representing 27 countries take
the oath for U.S. citizenship; in Freedom Park in Arlington, Va., immigrants take the oath of
allegiance and naturalization ceremonies also take place in Miami and Seattle; in Atlanta and
Stone Mountain, Georgia, the "Salute 2 America Parade" and the "Famous Americans: Past,
Present and Future" parade, respectively, take place, as well as military drills and demonstrations
at Fort Morris Historic Site; 2 overseas celebrations, one at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan
and the other at a street fair in Brussels, Belgium, are cancelled due to a threat of terrorism; in
Philadelphia, scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick receive 2000 Philadelphia
Liberty Medals; in Yorba Linda, California, at the Richard Nixon Library, a replica of the "Betsy
Ross" flag is raised and a re-enactment of the Battle of Lexington and Concord occurs
2001- Public readings of the Declaration of Independence take place throughout the country,
including the National Archives in Washinton, D.C., the Art Museum in Philadelphia, and the
Old State House in Boston; in Lititz, Pa., a re-enactment of a Revolutionary War encampment of
a German regiment takes place as that town has its "Lighting Freedom's Flame" celebration; in
Washington, D.C., the Charters of Freedom (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill
of Rights) are removed (the first such removal in nearly 50 years) from the Rotunda for
preservation improvements and will not be displayed again until 2003, and hundreds of persons
sign a facsimile edition of the Declaration that will be added to the Archives for posterity; in
Philadelphia, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is given the 13th Liberty Medal at
Independence Hall; throughout the U.S., numerous thematic celebrations take place as Tampa
has its "Aquafest" celebration, Beavercreek, Ohio presents its "2001: A Space Odyssey" event,
New York's theme is "Voices of Liberty," and Old Salem, N.C. has its "Frolick on the Fourth"
celebration; in Boston, Chinatown holds its first-ever formal celebration of U.S. Independence
Day and 19 immigrants are naturalized aboard the Constitution, the oldest
commissioned vessel in the Navy; in Barnstable, Mass., a statue for American patriot Mercy Otis
Warren is dedicated; 71 immigrants are naturalized at Monticello, the home of
Thomas Jefferson; in Atlanta, Navy Lt. Shane Osborn, the pilot of a spy plane that collided with
a Chinese fighter jet in April, is grand marshal in the city's parade there; from the International
Space Station, astronauts proclaim "We give thanks to our ancestors . . . to all Americans, Happy
Independence Day"
2002- The most intense security precautions in the history of the Fourth of July take place across
the country as a guard against the threat of possible terrorist attacks, but the American
people celebrate anyway, voicing their jubilation about freedoms enjoyed in this country;
celebrations and ceremonies across the country in both large and small cities include tributes to
all those who lost their lives on September 11 for example, in Juneau, Alaska, the Filipino
community enters a float in the local parade which is designed to resemble images of the rubble
of the World Trade Center, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, the parade features girders and a
fire truck from the World Trade Center wreckage, in New York City, 11 chimes are sounded at
the Macy's fireworks display in memory of 9/11, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, 3 firefighters reenact
the raising of the American flag in the World Trade Center amidst tears on a float in the parade
there, and in Ridgefield Park, N.J., two members of the community who lost their lives on 9/11
are honored with a float depicting a jet fighter; in Kinnelon, N.J., the annual children's Fourth of
July parade features girls wearing U.S.A. barrettes and boys with American flags; at Monticello,
70 immigrants are naturalized; fireworks are canceled in a number of states in the West due to
severe drought conditions; in Havana, Cuba's communist government holds a Fourth of July
celebration, with Fidel Castro in attendance; in Show Low, Arizona, families wearing red, white
and blue hold a parade and cheer firefighters who helped save the area from the largest wildfire
in Arizona state history; U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell is awarded the 2002
Philadelphia Liberty Medal for his leadership in the war on terrorism and his efforts in the
Middle East; four persons celebrating the Fourth in San Dimas, California, are killed and 12
injured by a small plane that crashes into them; Shanksville, Pa., holds its first Fourth of July
parade ever in the history of the town to honor the 9/11 crash victims of United Airlines Flight
93; in San Diego, the Declaration of Independence is publicly read in Spanish; in Disney World
in Orlando, 500 immigrants from 89 countries are sworn in as citizens; President Bush issues an
executive order allowing 15,000 immigrants serving active duty in the U.S. military to receive
immediate eligibility for citizenship
2003- At Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas, as well as other towns and cities across the nation,
Americans honor the U.S. servicemen who fought in the Iraq War; in Tikrit, Iraq, U.S. soldiers
celebrate the Fourth with a cookout at Saddam Hussein's hometown palace; a National Archives
program in conjunction with a National History Day Winner Performance event is held at Union
Station in Washington, D.C., and a copy of an original 1776 Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration
of Independence is on display; in Georgetown, a barge trip up the C & O Canal is held as a
historic reenactment commemorating the 175th anniversary of President John Quincy Adams
breaking ground for that canal in 1828; Philadelphia's new National Constitution Center opens,
but a heavy piece of stage scenery topples and slightly injures the center's president Joseph M.
Torsella and Mayor Street; also in Philadelphia, Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor is
awarded the city's Liberty Medal while 5,000 demonstrators participate in an anti-war rally at
Franklin Square; at Monticello, more than 70 new U.S. citizens are sworn in at its annual
naturalization ceremony and the keynote speaker is Allen H. Neuharth, founder of the Freedom
Forum and USA Today; in Seattle, 433 individuals representing 70 countries are sworn in as new
citizens; in St. Louis, the historic Eads Bridge over the Mississippi River is reopened to
pedestrians after being closed for more than 11 years due to repairs; due to the threat of forest
fires, the use of fireworks in New Mexico and other areas in the West is curtailed; Kilgore,
Texas, is recovering from a fireworks warehouse explosion on July 3 that killed three and injured
several others; in Southampton on Long Island, N.Y., members of a reenactment militia group
fire muskets in a parade there; Chicago holds its fireworks extravaganza on the evening of July 3
to the sounds of the "1812 Overture"
2004- The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower is laid on the site of the World Trade Center,
with speaker New York Governor George E. Pataki; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan is
given the 2004 Philadelphia Liberty Medal at Independence Hall; Americans across the nation
honor soldiers serving in Iraq through parades and ceremonies; in Miami, a group of servicemen
representing various branches of the armed forces become American citizens in a ceremony held
there
2005- In what is described as the biggrest Fourth of July blast ever, NASA slams its two-stage
820-pound spacecraft called Deep Impact into the comet Tempel 1; the "Capitol Fourth" event in
Washington, D.C. is the first broadcast on PBS to be aired in HDTV and Dolby 5.1 sound; 41 men
and women are naturalized at Freedom Park in Rosslyn, Virginia; Miami hosts its 15th annual
naturalization ceremony; new U.S. citizens recite the Pledge of Allegiance aboard the
frigate U.S.S. Constitution in Boston Harbor; the aftermath of terrorism and 9/11
continue to impact Fourth of July ceremonies as Washington, D.C. conducts an evacuation routes drill
after the evening fireworks event and National Guardsmen provide security at the Boston Esplanade
celebration; in Philadelphia U.S. Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts
and Philadelphia Mayor Street present the City of Brotherly Love Humanitarian Award to Elton John;
at Camp Victory in Baghdad, soldiers dine on an American flag cake
2006- The first ever launch of a space shuttle on Independence Day occurs when shuttle
Discovery lifts off at Kennedy Space Center and Stephanie D. Wilson is the second African
American female to go in space; U.S. military veterans participate in ceremonies
and parades across the country and a B-1 bomber flyover takes place at Mount Rushmore on July 3;
soldiers wounded in Iraq publicly read portions of the Declaration of
Independence at a ceremony held at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; a statue of Thomas
Jefferson and a portrait of Rosa Parks are unveiled in Paris, France, with Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe
and D. C. Mayor Anthony Williams in attendance; in Yakima, Washington, a war memorial honoring soldiers
from that town killed in Iraq is dedicated; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito and
Philadelphia Mayor Street officiate at Philadelphia's bell-tapping ceremony at the Librerty Bell; on July 3,
U. S. Secretary of the Interrior Dirk Kempthorne endorses plans for the construction of a new museum at
Valley Forge Historical Park; in Groton, N.Y., a Parrott naval cannon is rededicated; naturalization
ceremonies occur in various venues, including the U.S. military base in Bugram, near Kabul, Afghanistan,
where 27 American military personnel from 17 nations take the oath, in Iraq where 76 troops take the oath
of allegiance, at the Hatch Shell in Boston, and also at Monticello, Virginia.
2007- This is a day for citizenship ceremonies: 1000 persons from 75 countries take citizenship
oath at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida; 51 individuals take citizenship oath at the
William Paca House in Annapolis; at Camp Victory in Iraq, 161 soldiers are naturalized as American citizens
and U.S. commander General David Petraeus and Sen. John McCain address those assembled there; 76 persons
are sworn in at Monticello. Russian President Vladimir Putin issues an Independence Day
statement to U.S. stating mutual relations will improve; at 2 p.m., all U.S. Navy & Coast Guard ships ring
13 bells in honor of the 13 original states; a wreath laying ceremony takes place at the tomb of George
Washington at Mount Vernon; at Fort McHenry, a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, fife
and drum concert, and an artillery salute takes place; due to dry weather conditions, fireworks are cancelled in
Breckenridge, Colorado, Burbank, California, and other locations;
all across the country, U.S. soldiers are honored in parades and ceremonies
2008- Vice President Dick Cheney is in Boston attending a ceremony aboard the USS Constitution;
communities in California cancel fireworks due to dangerous wild fires; in Indianapolis, a 33rd annual old fashioned ice cream
social is held at the President Benjamin Harrison House; in this presidential election year, Democrat candidate
Barack Obama is in Butte, Montana, at an Independence Day picnic; at Camp Victory outside Baghdad, a mass swearing-in re-enlistment
ceremony led by General David Petraeus for 1,215 Army, Marine, and other services takes place; in Charles City,
Iowa, a malfunction of city fireworks injures 34 persons; at Coney Island, New York, Joey Chestnut
wins the Nathan's hot dog eating contest, an event that began in 1916; at the William Paca House in Annapolis,
Maryland, 50 immigrants representing 31 countries take the citizenship oath; in Dover, Delaware, a dedication ceremony for a
Dover Light Infantry Monument representing the Company's distinguished service during the
Revolutionary War takes place
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(This page last updated July 17, 2008)
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