This year, many will celebrate the Fourth of July. There will be food, fireworks and fellowship. It's the day Americans celebrate their Independence from Great Britain.
But is it really when we gained our independence?
July 2, 1776, is the day that the Continental Congress actually voted for independence.
We gained our independence on the second of July – not the fourth.
The Fourth of July is when the final wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved. Even then, the Declaration of Independence was not signed until August second, at the earliest, when the document was ready for signatures.
Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the document, although not all were present on that day in August.
If we followed the same rules we did with the constitution, we'd celebrate Independence Day on August second – maybe even later.
Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17, the last day the delegates of the Constitutional Convention met to sign the document.
Had the Declaration of Independence not undergone revisions, it would have likely had the date of July second, since Thomas Jefferson submitted his "rough draught" of the Declaration on June 28, 1776.
John Adams was one of the individuals that participated in revising the Declaration of Independence.
John Adams even noted that July second would be known as the day we gained our independence.
In his letter to his wife, Abigail, he states that "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."
For those unsure what "Epocha" means, Merriam-Webster defines it as:
"a : an event or a time marked by an event that begins a new period or development
b : a memorable event or date"
A volunteer tour guide at Independence Hall explained to my tour group that, although the day we actually gained our independence was the second of July, the Declaration of Independence was dated July fourth. That is why it is the day that most remember.
Imagine a world without phones, televisions or even radios. Compared to the world we know today, technology for communication purposes was extremely limited in 1776.
Even with advanced technology we make mistakes when communicating.
Since the Declaration of Independence declares our independence and is dated July fourth, it is only natural to assume that we gained our independence on the Fourth of July.
Speaking of the date, another intriguing part of Independence Day is that we call it the Fourth of July instead of July fourth. This is the most common way to write dates in British English. Pretty ironic.
America celebrates a piece of paper on the fourth of July, not the day we gained our independence — but at least we have the freedom to do so.
