Why Do We Celebrate The Fourth of July?

July 4, 1776 is the day that the colonies decided to declare themselves independent of Great Britain. By writing a very detailed decree, they decided that they no longer would need to be governed by the King of England, who had treated colonists unjustly in the years before.

Today we celebrate our free nation, but there is more to the celebration of independence than just the fact that this is the birthday of the United States. There are many ideas that were represented in this original celebration that we still celebrate and fight to protect.

What our Independence Day celebrations symbolize:

• The right to live with the freedoms of religion, without persecution and with the ability to think and do for yourself.
• A reminder that it takes courage to protect freedom and often courage is needed in the toughest times.
• A day to reflect on and recognize our nation’s multi-cultural heritage, history, and unity of people.