At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under the rule of England's King George III. There was growing unrest in the colonies concerning the taxes that had to be paid to England. This was commonly referred to as "Taxation without Representation" as the colonists did not have any representation in the English Parliament and had no say in what went on. As the unrest grew in the colonies, King George sent extra troops to help control any rebellion. In 1774 the 13 colonies sent delegates to Philadelphia Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress. The delegates were unhappy with England, but were not yet ready to declare war.
In April 1775 as the King's troops advanced on Concord Massachusetts Paul Revere would sound the alarm that "The British are coming, the British are coming" as he rode his horse through the late night streets. The battle of Concord and its "shot heard round the world" would mark the unofficial beginning of the colonies war for Independence.
The following May the colonies again sent delegates to the Second Continental Congress. For almost a year the congress tried to work out its differences with England, again without formally declaring war.
By June 1776 their efforts had become hopeless and a committee was formed to compose a formal declaration of independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the first draft which was presented to the congress on June 28. After various changes a vote was taken late in the afternoon of July 4th. Of the 13 colonies, 9 voted in favor of the Declaration, 2 - Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted No, Delaware undecided and New York abstained.
And although the signing of the Declaration was not completed until August, the 4th of July has been accepted as the official anniversary of United States independence. The first Independence Day celebration took place the following year - July 4 1777. By the early 1800s the traditions of parades, picnics, and fireworks were established as the way to celebrate America's birthday. And although fireworks have been banned in most places because of their danger, most towns and cities usually have big firework displays for all to see and enjoy.
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修7 Unit 20《New Frontiers》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修3 Unit 8《Adventure》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修6 Unit 18《Beauty》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 15《Learning》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修6 Unit 16《Stories》
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 完形填空 专题3 完形填空解题四防范——解密说明文、议论文专题训练
国内英语资讯:China Focus: Chinese bid farewell to producer of Monkey King
国际英语资讯:Iran, Russia to jointly build 2 nuclear power plants
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修7 Unit 21《Human Biology》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 14《Careers》
体坛英语资讯:Chelsea captain Terry to leave club at end of season
2016届高三英语一轮复习讲义:Book 8 Unit 23
西安一男子网购“震楼神器” 还击楼上吵闹邻居
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题5 瞻前顾后——妙选信息匹配专题训练(含15命题动向)
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修4 Unit 10《Money》
国内英语资讯:Kazakh president to attend Belt and Road Forum, calling for expanded cooperation with China
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题1 拨云见日——巧解事实细节类题目专题训练(含15命题动向)
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷37 语音知识、情景对话、单词拼写
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷32 短文改错
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 选修8 Unit 22《Environmental Protection》
2016届高三英语一轮复习讲义:Book 8 Unit 24
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 阅读理解 专题3 “字斟句酌”——“驾驭”推理判断类题目专题训练(含15命题动向)
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修3 Unit 9《Wheels》
国际英语资讯:Japan, U.S. agree on collaborative approach to Korean Peninsula issue, launch new economic di
2017年高考英语三轮复习专练(广东) 完形填空 专题1 完形填空高分三原则——攻克记叙文专题训练
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷34 书面表达
(江西)2017届高三英语三轮专项冲刺之专题检测卷36 语音知识、情景对话、单词拼写
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修4 Unit 12《Culture Shock》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修5 Unit 13《People》
【北师大版】2016届高三英语一轮复习题库 必修1 Unit 3《Celebration》