Should we celebrate the 4th of July for four days?

Our nation’s second president, John Adams, wrote to his wife about the day that the Continental Congress voted for independence from Great Britain:

“I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other...”

There is no doubting the significance of the day about which Adams wrote: July 2, 1776.

For the sake of historical accuracy, the Second Continental Congress had voted on July 2, 1776, to declare that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject nor subordinate to the monarch of Britain. They didn’t announce their historic vote to the public until three days later, July 5, 1776.

John Adams, along with the other 55 signers of the Declaration who declared the colonies’ independence from Great Britain, had taken a great and historic risk. While they dreamed of an independent nation, their declaration would make them guilty of treason, a crime punishable by death, if they failed. Nevertheless, it was an act all of the signers believed to be crucial if the 13 colonies were to ever enjoy freedom from a monarchy.

So, following that July 2nd vote, Congress turned its attention to finalizing a formal “declaration of independence.” They believed the document would declare their separation from their former ruler, King George III of Great Britain England. In addition, they wanted the document to explain the decision to all of the citizens of the now-former colonies.

The Declaration of Independence had been in the works since June 11, 1776, when Congress had appointed five members to create it. This “Committee of Five” included John Adams, representative of Massachusetts; Thomas Jefferson, representative of Virginia; Benjamin Franklin, representative of Pennsylvania; Roger Sherman, representative of Connecticut; and Robert Livingston, representative of New York.

After discussing the general outline the document should follow, the Committee agreed that Jefferson would write the first draft. It took him just 17 days to produce the first draft for the Committee to review. After incorporating the Committee’s input, he produced a second draft in just a few more days.

Finally, on June 28, the Committee presented its document to the Congress’ Committee of the Whole. This finalized copy was titled, “A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled” (this event was later commemorated in a painting by John Trumbull).

After the Committee of the Whole discussed and reviewed the document on July 1, it made a report to the entire Congress. During the afternoon of July 2, Congress declared the sovereign status of the United Colonies. Before adjourning, they listened to a second reading of the document.

On next day, July 3, the Committee of the Whole listened to a third reading. This time, they scrutinized the precise wording. In fact, they rejected two passages in the Committee of Five’s draft. One was a disparaging reference to the English people. The other was a denunciation of slavery and the slave trade.

Thomas Jefferson later wrote about these deletions, “…those passages which conveyed censures on the people of England were struck out, lest they should give them offense. The clause, too, reprobating the enslaving the inhabitants of Africa was struck out in complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the importation of slaves, and who, on the contrary, still wished to continue it.”

John Adams wrote that the revisions were largely completed by the time of adjournment on July 3rd. Regardless, formal adoption was deferred until the following day. So, by the late morning of the July 4, 1776, Congress voted its acceptance. 

The Declaration wasn’t finished, however.

After voting on the 4th, Congress referred the document back to the Committee of Five with the instructions to produce a “fair copy.” That meant they were to prepare the redrafted-as-corrected document for delivery to the appointed broadside printer, John Dunlap.

Finally, the Committee finally convened, and by the early evening of the 4th, it had done all it could to prepare the document for the printer. At that point, the document likely contained the signatures of all members of Congress except for one — the now famous scroll of John Hancock.

Hancock, being the President of Congress, had to approve the final proof before it could be printed for distribution. Unfortunately, history has not left us with a record of when, during the night of July 4/5, President Hancock added his authenticating signature to either the Committee’s fair copy or the Dunlap broadside master copy.

In fact, it isn’t even clear when or how all of the signatures were applied to the “redrafted-as-corrected” document. It had to have been after the Committee of Five completed the revised draft during the afternoon of July 4.

Therefore, at the earliest, the Committee could only deliver the “redrafted-as-corrected” document with the signatures of all Congress members to the printer was late in the day of July 4. After the printer received it, he created a master or “proof.” The President of Congress, John Hancock, had to approve it with his signature. This is evidenced by the note printed at the bottom of extant original copies of the printed broadside that reads, “Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, JOHN HANCOCK, President.”

With Hancock’s signature of approval, the printer was finally able to run his press very late on July 4 or early July 5 to produce the broadsides for distribution. Collectors and historians have come to refer to examples of this first printing as “Dunlap broadsides.”

With all those details of running about to gather signatures, what, then, really is “Independence Day?”

To recap: The Second Continental Congress voted to separate several the colonies from English rule on July 2, 1776. Revisions to that declaration of that sovereignty were not finalized until July 3. The final draft was written and approved on July 4. And, it wasn’t until quite late in the evening of July 4 — or, most likely, in the early morning of July 5 — that Hancock applied his now-famous signature to the document.

In fact, it is most probable Hancock applied his signature in just the presence of the Committee of Five and their printer, John Dunlap and not during a triumphant session of Congress with all members in attendance.

Even though the public didn’t learn of the famous declaration until the morning of July 5, the image of all signatories applying their mark on the 4th of July was compelling — if not exactly accurate. And while such an historic event would seem to never fade from memory, it didn’t take long for it to become foggy.

And even though we — as students of history — know that Congress voted sovereignty on July 2, Hancock didn’t make it official until he applied his signature late in the evening of July 4-5, and that the colonists didn’t first learn about it until the morning of July 5, the public came up with its own interpretation thirty years after the event — the interpretation we currently accept and celebrate.

Granted, many details in the chronology are still unknown, but by as early as 1806, prominent members of the Committee of Five could not even recount the order of events. Regardless, public sentiment had embraced the 4th of July as the day when we would celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Therefore, on July 4, 2021, we will celebrate the 245th anniversary of our nation’s Declaration of Independence — but feel free to spread it out over July 2 through the 5th. I think I will. 

Who’s to say it isn’t appropriate? 

*Three Civil War Reasons to Celebrate the Fourth

*Lewis and Clark's 1804 Fourth of July Celebration

*The Enduring American Spirit

*Calendar of Military Reenactments and Living History Events 

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