Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris features founding fathers Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams while preparing documents in Jefferson’s apartment in Philadelphia.
You American history buffs already know that July 4th wasn’t the actual date on which the Continental Congress decided to declare independence. That was on July 2nd, 1776. However, the Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th. July 4th, 1776 was the date on which they finally all agreed on the edits and changes and it was the date included on the original handwritten copy that was eventually signed in August by all the members of Congress. So it is the date that is remembered and it is the date that is celebrated, even though Congress didn’t declare it a national holiday until almost one hundred years later, in 1870. It is still celebrated with parades, a lot of red, white and blue, fireworks and usually a barbecue or two by Americans around the world. On behalf of everyone in the GroupeSTAHL family, we wish you a safe and happy 4th of July.