KIDS UNITED
This month Tommy & Sean celebrated their favorite holiday - the Fourth of July!
On this day in 1776, the people of "The 13 Colonies" declared their freedom from the government of Great Britain by voting in the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This anniversary is marked across the country with picnics, BBQ's, baseball games and fireworks. And Tommy & Sean love every minute of it!
America wasn't always an independent country. Up until the 1700's, what is now the United States of America was known to its British rulers as "The Colonies". The people living here ("colonists") did not like being governed by the British. After all, people who lived an entire ocean away were making decisions about their lives!
The colonists did not have any representation in the Parliament of England (their governing body), and yet they had to pay taxes and follow the laws set forth by this Parliament. The colonists felt that they could manage their lives without the advice of a Parliament half a world away. They wanted to be in charge of their own government.
In 1774, the 13 Colonies sent delegates to the First Continental Congress, in Philadelphia. The Second Continental Congress was held the following year, the colonists hoping that Britain would honor their requests without going to war. But in 1775, the Battle of Concord (Massachusetts) marked the beginning of the colonists' war with Britain for their independence.
And in June of 1776, the colonists formed a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Hancock were members of the committee, and on July 4, 1776 the 13 colonies voted their approval of the Declaration. John Hancock added his signature to the Declaration, and the day went down in history as the birthday of the United States of America.
Americans celebrate their independence by throwing parades in cities across the country, and Tommy & Sean's town is no different. They got up early and watched the Fourth of July parade with their parents. They waved the American flag, and cheered for the floats as they went by.
Then, they all went down to the park, and had a big BBQ. They ate hamburgers and hot dogs and drank sodas and lemonade. Of course they played baseball and enjoyed root beer afterwards! And when the sun went down, everyone watched the fireworks presentation that marked the end of the Fourth of July festivities.
Tommy & Sean hope that everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July Celebration!
