On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail of how "[t]he Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. … It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." It seems the founding father felt pretty strongly that July 2 would be recognized as the landmark date of this young nation's founding. So why do Americans celebrate independence two days later?
Let's back up to June of 1776, when the Second Continental Congress selected a Committee of Five — Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson — to draft a statement of independence that severed the colonies from British rule. When the Jefferson-penned draft was presented to Congress, only nine of the 13 colonies favored independence. However, the delegates largely fell into line from that point, and on July 2, Congress formally approved the resolution that proclaimed the United States of America as an independent country. Following additional edits, the Declaration of Independence was completed, adopted, and sent for printing on July 4, and on August 2, the rank-and-file delegates began adding their signatures to an engrossed version of the document.
According to historian Pauline Maier, the idea of commemorating the anniversary of independence didn't gain any traction in 1777 until it was too late to recognize the date of July 2. However, a pair of notable celebrations popped up on July 4 — fireworks in Boston, a military demonstration and more pyrotechnics in Philadelphia — setting forth an annual tradition that, as Adams otherwise correctly predicted, came to mark "the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."
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