Meaning of Independence Day - Essay Example

Running Head: Independence Day Meaning of Independence Day Introduction: Every year on July four the United s celebrates its independence day, different meanings have been attached to this day depending on the understanding the history of the pre colonial period. Following the colonization of the united state by the British a revolution war broke in April in 1975, the British responded to this rebellion by passing prohibitive acts and hiring German mercenaries to suppress the rebellion. There were increased efforts to declare the 13 states independence from British rule and this led to the formation of a committee by congress to draft the declaration, among those selected by congress included former United States president Thomas Jefferson and John Adams who are considered to have played a major role in the achievement of independence. This paper discusses the history of the United States and the meanings attached to the Independence Day. History and the Drafting of the Declaration: On June 11 in the year 1976 a committee was appointed by congress to draft a declaration and the five committee members appointed included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson and Roger Sherman who presented this draft to the congress on 28th of the same month. Voting was undertaken on the first of July whereby each colony had a single vote, South Carolina and Pennsylvania voted against declaring independence, however the next day South Carolina reversed its decision. New York on the other hand did not vote because delegates lacked authority to vote, however authority was granted a week later, and therefore on July 2 the declaration for independence was passed however congress debated on the draft changing it and deleting some of its passages. On July 4 congress finished the wording and approved the Declaration of Independence and which is now celebrated as the Independence Day. Meaning of Independence Day: Majority have the view that on 4th July the united states declared its impendence from British rule, there are various meanings attached to this day including a day which the united states declared independence and the day which the congress signed the declaration of independence, the day which congress approved independence, and a day to remember and honor the founding fathers of the United States. The following is an analysis of the happening on and before July 4 1976. Independence: Many have the view that independence was achieved on the 4th of July, however the independence was achieved through a series of activities that led to the independence of the thirteen colonies in the united states. Many argue that on July 4 the United States declared independent but from the activities it is evident that colonies declared independent on the 2nd of July 1976. From history it is evident that there was a draft declaration of independence prepared by a committee selected by congress on the 28th of June. The draft declaration was tabled in parliament on the first of July, on this day a few states including South Carolina and Pennsylvania rejected the declaration while New York did not have the authority to vote. On the second of July voting was undertaken and South Carolina reversed its decision and there were a total of twelve votes that accepted the declaration and New York did not participate in the voting. For this reason therefore it is evident that the declaration of independence by colonized states was done on the 2nd of July where 12 states denounced colonial rule and declared independent from British rule. In the next two days congress edited the declaration deleting some of the contents of the draft including slavery and slave trade, the revised copy was made public on the 4th of July although many states and army commanders received the document days after. Signing of the Declaration of Independence: History have the view that the declaration of independent was signed on the 4th of July by congress, however it is clear that some did not sign the document on July 4 whereby some of the delegates were not present on that day. It is also evident that many of the delegates signed the document days after the 4th of July and therefore this does not mean that Independence Day is the day when the declaration of independence was signed by congress. The forth of July was the day when congress finalized on the draft copy, congress spent two days reviewing the paper and deleting some of the part of the draft document presented by Thomas Jefferson, some of the phrases were revised and words changed in order to come up with the final copy. It was the day in which the declaration was made public and printed in order to inform the colonies about the decision. Approval by Congress: Congress approved the document days before July 4, on July second 12 colonies had already accepted the decision to declare independent from British rule, they however did not publicly announced their decision due to the fact that there was a need to revise the documents, the original draft copy by Thomas Jefferson included slave and slave trade abolishment but this phrase was deleted. For this reason therefore Congress on the second of July had announced the independence of colonies and this was two days before the day we celebrate as Independence Day. Founding Fathers: The Independence Day is also a day in which the United States commemorates its founding fathers, coincidentally three former presidents died on the forth of July including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe. Thomas Jefferson who was an author and who singed the declaration of independence died on 4th July 1826 and former President James Monroe died on the 4th July 1831. For this reason therefore the 4th of July not only commemorates the day which the untied states declared its independence but also honor its founding fathers especially those who drafted and approved the declaration for independence. Conclusion: From the above discussion it is evident that different meanings have been assigned to the independent day, many feel that this is day to celebrate independent from British rule, a day to honor the founding fathers of the United States and also a day which congress declared independent from colonial rule. This was the day congress approved the revised copy of declaration of independence and therefore it is considered an important day in history, celebrations are help each year to remember the founding fathers of the states and also the heroes of independence in the united states, many Americans cerebrate the day to remember the importance of independence and also as a way of honoring those who participated in the achievement of the independent United States. It is also evident that the July four independent day was a day set by congress to signify the day set to commemorate independence from British rule. However this is not the exact date which the United States became independence because colonies declared independent on the second of July after voting in favor of the declaration. It is therefore clear that on this day we celebrate independence as a day set to coincide with the publishing of the decision made by congress on the 4th of July 1976. References: Armitage, D. (2007) The Declaration of Independence: A Global History. Harvard: Harvard University Press. Becker, C. (1992) The Declaration of Independence: A Study in the History of Political Ideas. New York: McGraw Hill Press. Hazelton, J. (1996) The Declaration of Independence: It's History. New York: McGraw Hill Press. Read More