098: The Fourth of July and Fireworks

Hello! In this week's episode of It's a History Podcast, We will be taking a look at the history of Fourth of July celebrations in honor of the United States' 250th anniversary, looking at why July 4th became the national holiday even though delegates like John Adams expected July 2nd, when Congress approved the Lee Resolution, to be the official  anniversary. In this episode we take a look at what the Lee Resolution said and also look at how British anniversary traditions shaped American celebrations. We will also take a look at  the first organized celebrations in Boston and Philadelphia in 1777.   Sources for today's episode include:   An article from the National Park Service titled History of Independence Day  https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalmall4th/history-of-independence-day.htm?ref=journal.stephenoliveto.com An article from George Washington's Mount Vernon titled The Earliest July Fourth Celebration https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/the-earliest-july-4-celebrations An article from History.com titled Why Do We Celebrate July Fourth With Fireworks? By Sarah Pruitt https://www.history.com/articles/july-4-fireworks-independence-day-john-adams If you would like to send me any questions, comments, or ideas for future podcast episodes please email me at [email protected]. You can also find me on Instagram and Threads @itsahistorypodcast Thank you for listening!