This Sunday the United States is celebrating with parades, parties and fireworks. It’s “Independence Day”. On July 4, 1776, the declaration of independence was signed. Their ideals are still relevant today – and unmatched.
On July 4th, 1776 – exactly 245 years ago – representatives of the then 13 British colonies in America signed the Declaration of Independence. This happened in the middle of a war, the “War of Independence”, which had started a year earlier and was to last until 1783. The Americans wanted to be able to decide freely in their country – and above all to be able to operate independently without the rule of Great Britain.
The British had become more and more unpopular colonial rulers over the centuries. They severely restricted their colonies on the American continent and the citizens living there, determined trade, banned industries in the New World, imposed taxes on Americans in order to rehabilitate their own treasury after expensive wars, forbade them to have their own currency and that Settling in certain areas.
July 4th, 1776 was a day in the middle of the war
But the citizens of the American colonies had become more and more self-confident in the course of time and increasingly protested against the regime in London, the anger was directed primarily against Parliament. The “Boston Tea Party” in 1773, at which a group of citizens of the North American metropolis sank several loads of tea in the harbor basin in protest against British customs policy, became famous from this period.
The war, also known as the American Revolutionary War, began in 1775. At first, the people in the colonies fought primarily for equality. Many Americans were still loyal to the British king; complete sovereignty was not yet the determining issue.
It only changed in the course of time, as the war dragged on and on. The Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 was the first official document to express the desire for independence – so powerfully that it has hardly lost any of its intellectual charisma over the centuries. To this day, Americans are proud of this document.
Declaration of independence with many ideals
That all people are created equal, that they have inalienable rights as well as the right to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness – these are all ideals from the Declaration of Independence that still apply today – and are still far from being achieved.
At the time of the Revolutionary War, their fighters primarily thought of equality among white citizens of British or at least European descent. That slaves or natives have the same rights – unimaginable for many people at the time. The consequences can still be felt today. The inequalities between black, white and the indigenous population have not been eliminated, racist acts of violence or subtle discrimination continue to exist. Women’s rights also had to be fought for over time.
Other ideals from the document of that time shape the political system in the USA to this day: The “Declaration of Independence” demanded that the government be elected and installed by the people. And for the first time there was talk of the “United States of America”.
Independence Day is celebrated with parties and naturalizations
To this day, July 4th is celebrated across the country with parades, fireworks and other celebrations. You can see the American flag everywhere in the United States, and objects are decorated in red, white, and blue. Citizenship ceremonies for immigrants are also held in many cities.
On July 4, 1976, when the declaration of independence celebrated its 200th anniversary, there were particularly elaborate celebrations. There will be no round anniversary this year, but July 4, 2021 is also a special date. Because as the corona pandemic is waning, celebrations are possible again in many places.
Watch the video: A trip along Market Street in San Francisco in 1906. A few days later, an earthquake will devastate the Californian city. With the help of software, the historical images have now been published in color.
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