We have all heard about Independence Day, right? It’s the film starring Will Smith who fights against an alien invasion to save the world. Well, yes it is the title of a film, but of course there is so much more behind the United States’ biggest and most important day of the year. It’s even celebrated around the world to recognise the importance of the declaration of Independence.

But what exactly is Independence Day? Why does the United States celebrate this day, and why is it such an important day to them?

The United States, as we know today, was once a vast land that had become home to colonists from Great Britain. They were people who had travelled there to make a better life for themselves.

The Thirteen Colonies created were established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. The colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence. Each colony developed its own system of self government.

During the revolution and after many years of intervention, the British Government was demanding higher taxes and also making the colonists follow more and more of their rules. 

So the colonies decided that the time had come for them to govern themselves, and to live by their own rules and pay their own taxes, and most importantly make their own decisions about how they live their lives and look after the country. They had decided that they no longer wanted Great Britain to tell them what to do and how to do it, and so they informed the British government that they wanted to become an independent country.

The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and they appointed a committee. A committee is a group of people who had to work together to write a document that, in this case a document that would tell Great Britain that the American people had decided to govern themselves.

So, who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

The committee of five consisted of John Adams from Massachusetts, Roger Sherman from Connecticut, Robert Livingston from New York, Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia.

They decided that they would ask one of the committee members to write the draft document. They chose Thomas Jefferson. He worked on this for many days in secret, until he had written a document that he thought said everything important that the committee had discussed.

On June 28, 1776, the committee came together to read Jefferson’s work. Because they only had one chance they made some changes to the document and declared their independence from the British on July 2, 1776. However, the official date that they chose to mark this historic moment in history and make it theirs for real was actually July the 4^th 1776.

John Trumbull’s famous painting is often identified as a depiction of the signing of the Declaration, but it actually shows the drafting committee presenting its work to the Congress.

The document sets out their ideas and beliefs in how the country should be governed; declaring that ‘all men are created equal’ and that people have a right to ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’.  And that is why they celebrate this day and call it ‘Independence Day.’

But to make the document official and law in the country, the Congress ordered that all members must sign the Declaration of Independence and they all began signing the ‘official’ copy on August 2, 1776. In January of the next year, Congress sent signed copies to all of the states. The people who signed the Declaration risked being hanged for treason by the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very brave to sign something that would be considered a crime!

Of course, The Declaration of Independence is more than just a piece of paper. It is a symbol of the country’s independence and commitment to certain ideas that many people live their lives by. 

The signed, engrossed copy of the Declaration, now badly faded, is on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC.

How is the day celebrated?

In America it is simply often referred to as the 4^th of July and the day is celebrated with fireworks and parties across the country, which include parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies. Because it’s a public holiday, people take the day off to be with friends and family. This is also one of the busiest weeks for travel in the states as people take advantage of the extended holidays to take vacations.

You will almost definitely also hear the countrie’s National Anthem – The Star Spangled Banner, that will be played right across the United States of America on the 4^th of July. 

The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution.

On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. The Fourth of July 2021 is on Sunday, July 4, 2021; the federal holiday will be observed on Monday, July 5, 2021.

The tradition of setting off fireworks on the 4 of July began in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777, during the first organized celebration of Independence Day. Ship’s cannon fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies. The Pennsylvania Evening Post reported: “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.” That same night, the Sons of Liberty set off fireworks over Boston Common.

The tradition of patriotic celebration became even more widespread after the War of 1812, in which the United States again faced Great Britain. In 1870, the U.S. Congress made July 4th a federal holiday; in 1941, the provision was expanded to grant a paid holiday to all federal employees.

Over the years, the political importance of the holiday would decline, but Independence Day remained an important national holiday and a symbol of patriotism.

Falling in mid-summer, the Fourth of July has since the late 19th century become a major focus of leisure activities and a common occasion for family get-togethers, often involving fireworks and outdoor barbecues. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag, and a common musical accompaniment is “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States.

source: History.com

Ingredients for the cake (makes 20-24 servings):

18 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
3 cups sugar
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 cup sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1/3 cup corn-starch
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for the icing:

450 gr unsalted butter at room temperature
680 gr pounds cream cheese at room temperature
450 gr pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To assemble:

500 ml blueberries
700 ml strawberries or raspberries

Preparation:

1.      Heat the oven to 180 degrees C°.

2.      Butter and flour a 46cm x33cm x 4cm sheet pan.

3.      Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed, until light and fluffy. On medium speed, add the eggs, 2 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and stir until smooth.

4.      Sift togetherthe flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

5.      For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mixing just until smooth.

6.      Spread three-fourths of the icing on the top of the cooled sheet cake. Outline the flag on the top of the cake with a toothpick. Fill the upper left corner with blueberries. Place rows of strawberries (or raspberries) across the top of the cake, like a red stripe. Put the remaining icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe two rows of white stripes below the raspberries. Alternate rows of red berries and icing until the flag is completed.

7.      You can serve this cake right in the pan. If you want to turn it out onto a board before frosting, use parchment paper when you grease and flour the pan.