Independence from England was not the original goal of
the American colonists,
but was an alternative outcome accepted only as a last resort.
In fact, as late
as June of 1775 Thomas Jefferson, the author of
the Declaration of Independence, wrote "I am sincerely one of
those...
who would rather be in dependence on Great Britain, properly limited,
than on any other nation on
earth, or than on no nation."
The colonists complaints were not against the government, but rather the
advisors who they felt were wrongly influencing the King and the Parliament.
The colonists' expectations
were not met, and and on July 2, 1776 Congress officially dissolved it's political bonds with England. The
Declaration of Independence was ratified on July 4, and the United States became official.
As early as
1777 the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence was celebrated with ringing bells,
candles in the windows, bonfires, and fireworks. Over the years with increasing technology, these celebrations
have gotten more spectacular and different cultures have integrated their own celebrations, but the basics
of the celebration have, and probably always will be, the same.
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