It is commonly associated with parades, barbecues, picnics and various public celebratory events. Fireworks have been associated with the Fourth of July since 1777.
John Adams, credited by Thomas Jefferson as the unofficial, yet tireless whip of the independence-minded, wrote his wife Abigail: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore." (July 3.)
Adams was off by two days, however. Certainly, the vote on July 2 was the decisive act. But July 4 is the date on the Declaration itself. Jefferson's stirring prose, as edited by the Congress, was first adopted by the vote of the 4th. It was also the first day Philadelphians heard the official news of independence from the Continental Congress, as opposed to rumors in the street about secret votes.
In 1777, British officers noted the firing of 13 guns, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white and blue bunting. Across the sea, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
In 1778, General George Washington marked the Fourth with a double ration of rum for his soldiers.
In many states, smaller fireworks are sold for personal use as an alternative to a public show. Concerns about safety have led some states to ban fireworks, or to limit the sizes and types that are available. When one state bans them and a nearby state does not, cross-border trips to purchase illicit fireworks are not uncommon, and many merchants are located extremely close to the border; for example, northwest Indiana (close to Chicago, Illinois--Illinois bans fireworks) is a major site of fireworks retail.
Often, families mark Independence Day with a picnic or barbecue, especially before the fireworks. Families often use the opportunity to gather, as the holiday affords a longer weekend.
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