The 4th of July is a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the Continental Congress’s signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. This led to the birth of a newly and forever free America. Technically, July 2nd is when the unanimous vote for independence from the British monarchy passed. But it wasn’t until two days later, on the 4th, that the Declaration was formally adopted. This historic document, primarily authored by Thomas Jefferson, articulated the colonies’ reasons for seeking independence and outlined the inherent rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These rights represent the 4th of July’s meaning.
Early Celebrations of the 4th of July and 4th of July History
According to History.com, colonists originally celebrated King Charles III’s birthday during this time. But after the Revolutionary War, the 4th of July commemorated independence from him. Celebrations often included criticism and mockery of the monarch.
Even the first 4th of July celebrations resembled modern celebrations with concerts, bonfires, firings of cannons and muskets, fireworks, parades, and more. It became an official federal holiday in 1870. The holiday held huge political and social significance, which is why it’s still being celebrated to this day.
Over the years, the 4th of July became less about politics and independence and more about leisure, especially after it became a day off for all federal employees in 1941. Now, traditions such as spending time with family, hosting barbecues, lighting fireworks, swimming, and other leisurely activities are more common. Though the themes of freedom for all and patriotism still remain the same.
And that’s where the problem lies for many Americans, especially Black Americans.
The Hypocrisy of the 4th of July
“Independence” and “the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the core values celebrated on the 4th of July. However, not all Americans gained these rights on the 4th of July in 1776.
Millions of Black enslaved people lived in the US at the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted. They’d been here for decades because of the Transatlantic slave trade. These enslaved Black people weren’t legally free until after Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863, and the passing of the 13th Amendment in December 1865 abolished slavery in the US.
Black Americans finally gained independence almost 100 years after their country’s long-celebrated Independence Day. Despite this newfound legal freedom, we know a long road of oppression, discrimination, and disadvantages followed, and continues in many forms today.
The hypocrisy of celebrating freedom from oppressive rule while enslaving a population of people, coupled with modern-day mistreatment of this same group, is why many Black Americans, and other individuals, don’t celebrate the 4th of July.
Why Black Americans Have Shared That They Do Not Celebrate the 4th of July
Dana P. Saxon, an educator and researcher, cited the Three-Fifths Compromise as one of many reasons she does not celebrate the 4th of July. This agreement, made at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, attempted to appease the southern states that wanted to count enslaved individuals to gain greater representation in the House of Representatives. The northern states argued that enslaved people shouldn’t be counted at all since they had no rights as citizens. The compromise was to count each enslaved person as three-fifths of a person. A decade after the first annual celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the government decided to consider enslaved people as less than a person.
Karen Greene Braithwaite for Reader’s Digest explained that she does not celebrate July 4th because it celebrates an incomplete history. According to Braithwaite, the unity that’s celebrated during this holiday can’t exist without acknowledging the hardships of Black Americans when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Braithwaite added that understanding American history is impossible when Black Americans’ work and sacrifices, which were fundamental in building this country, are disregarded.
“Without holidays like Juneteenth that celebrate the real experiences of Black people, American history is incomplete. You cannot even make a logical story without it, because Black people’s enslavement and labor was such an integral part of building our society and our economy,” Braithwaite wrote. “This history is embedded in literally everything—from the Constitution to our day-to-day life, local laws and ordinances—and so much wouldn’t make sense to someone who wasn’t familiar with America’s history.”
Historical Resistance to the 4th of July
Black Americans throughout history have chosen to abstain from celebrating the 4th of July. Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist, orator, writer, and formerly enslaved person, delivered his famous speech on July 5, 1852, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” The speech was given at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, hosted by the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society in Rochester, New York.
Douglass began by acknowledging the achievements of the Founding Fathers and the principles of liberty and equality they espoused. Then, he shifted to a stark condemnation of the hypocrisy inherent in celebrating freedom while millions of African Americans remained enslaved. He pointed out the glaring contradiction between the values of the Declaration of Independence and the realities of slavery, highlighting the brutal conditions and dehumanization faced by enslaved people.
Douglass famously asked, “Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in that Declaration of Independence, extended to us?”
With the same question still relevant almost 200 years later, it’s understandable why many Americans don’t want to celebrate the 4th of July.
Celebrating Juneteenth Instead of the 4th of July
As Braithwaite mentioned, many Black Americans choose to celebrate Juneteenth instead of the 4th of July. Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, commemorates the end of slavery annually on June 19th. The name of this holiday blends the words “June” and “Nineteenth.”
Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of all enslaved people. Though the Emancipation Proclamation, which called for the immediate emancipation of enslaved people in Confederate-controlled states, was enforced starting on Jan. 1, 1863, enslaved people in Texas didn’t learn of their freedom until over two years later. So, slavery didn’t officially end in the South until Juneteenth, and it wasn’t officially illegal in the US until the 13th Amendment passed later that year.
Juneteenth was officially declared a federal holiday in 2021 by President Joe Biden.
It’s Not Inherently Wrong to Still Celebrate the Fourth
There’s nothing wrong with choosing to celebrate the 4th of July. Since the holiday is now way more about spending time with family and friends and focusing on leisure, it makes sense to still spend your hard-earned day off celebrating.
However, Braithwaite suggested “I think that July 4th should become a day of reflection for everyone about what that day in history really meant for this country as a whole.”
Until all Americans can equally experience “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” using the 4th of July as a day of reflection ensures no group’s history, specifically Black Americans’ history, is disregarded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What actually happened on July 4, 1776 in the USA?
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. This declared that the American colonies were no longer subject to the monarch of Britain, King George III, and were now united, free, and independent states. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, but most of the delegates actually signed it on August 2, 1776.
Were slaves freed on July 4, 1776?
Black Americans could still be legally enslaved in some border states until the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 6, 1865, nearly 100 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Though Juneteenth celebrates when the enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached the entire South, slavery was not constitutionally illegal across the US until the passing and ratification of the 13th Amendment.
