Independence Days Gone By
Happy 4th of July!
For 242 years now, the United States has been tossing itself a huge party to celebrate our Independence.
As these wonderful images show, the “Spirit of ’76” has stuck with us through the nearly two-and-a-half centuries.
Please enjoy this star-spangled ride through time.
Antique etching of July 4th at Independence Hall. Undated. iStockphoto
The Centennial. The United States turns 100. Instantaneous view of Elm Avenue, Philadelphia, July 4th, 1876. Photographer: Barker, George, 1844-1894. Wikimedia Commons.
Lady Liberty lends the Centennial celebration a hand … and forearm. The torch and part of the arm of the Statue of Liberty, on display at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Buyenlarge/Getty Images via Wikimedia Commons.
Civil War veterans during Fourth of July or Decoration Day on review in the center of town, Ortonville, Minnesota, 1880. Image courtesy National Archives. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.
Sparklers! Who doesn’t love sparklers? (Aside from worried moms.) A group of children playing with sparklers after the Fourth of July celebrations in 1940. Keystone View/FPG/Getty Images.
A World War II poster reminding Americans of the history of the Declaration of Independence, 1942. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images.
Children dressed as George and Martha Washington are dragged past on a miniature float, one of the contestants in the baby parade in Lititz park, Pennsylvania, commemorating the 4th of July in 1955. Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images.
The Windy City showing its pride. Families flying the American flag on the 4th of July from their houses on the west side of Chicago, Illinois in 1961. MPI/Getty Images.
America turns 200! Fireworks explode around the Statue of Liberty during the American Bicentennial celebration, New York City, July 4, 1976. Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Philadelphia Freedom. Crowd at the Bicentennial Celebration in Philadelphia, 4 July, 1976. Flickr/David King
Dr. James B. Rhoads, United States archivist, cuts the giant birthday cake honoring the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence during the American Bicentennial ceremonies, Washington, D.C., July 4, 1976. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images.
High-angle view of the Parade of Tall Ships sailing in New York Harbor during American Bicentennial celebrations, New York City, July 4, 1976. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images.
The Parade of Two-Wheelers. Kids line up on their bikes for the 4th of July parade in the Dam East subdivision parade in Aurora, Colorado in 1984. Denver Post via Getty Images.
Crowded street scene prior to the 4th of July parade in Bristol, Rhode Island in 2007. The town’s unique red, white, and blue center line is also visible. Wikimedia Commons.
Wherever you may be this July 4th, we pray you have fun and festive day celebrating the glorious gift of Freedom, and this one great nation under God, birthed in Liberty 242 years ago.
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