Many Americans will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with a variety of activities, such as barbeques, swimming, fireworks, parades, and concerts.

But like so many other holidays, duty calls for many individuals – including the servicemembers who protect our countries and our nation’s fundamental ideals, which date back to the America’s founding.

So, from the American Legion Auxiliary to all our servicemembers and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces: THANK YOU! Because of you, Americans have been able to, and continue to, enjoy many freedoms. America is great because of you!

Additionally, we’d like to thank the families of deployed servicemembers, those serving stateside, and veterans. We know that these families makes sacrifices when their loved one serves our great nation.

Today, we invite everyone in our ALA blog community to have a moment of silence to honor all who have fought, and continue to fight, for our freedoms.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

History of the Holiday

On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence from Great Britain. Just two days later, on July 4, 1776, delegates from 13 colonies formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, according to history.com.

The first public readings of the Declaration of Independence were celebrated with concerts, bonfires, parades, and cannon/musket fire. Congress made July Fourth a federal holiday in 1870.