Independence Day Gift Baskets
Independence Day (Fourth of July)

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The History of Independence Day

Independence Day is the national holiday of the United States of America commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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.

To make it official John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence. It is said that John Hancock signed his name "with a great flourish" so "King George can read that without spectacles!."

The following day copies of the Declaration were distributed. The first newspaper to print the Declaration was the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. On July 8th the Declaration had its first public reading in Philadelphia's Independence Square. Twice that day the Declaration was read to cheering crowds and pealing church bells. Even the bell in Independence Hall was rung. The "Province Bell" would later be renamed "Liberty Bell" after its inscription - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants Thereof"

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.

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Gift Baskets are ideal for celebrating Independence Day:

Independence Day Gift Baskets Australia AU - Australian Capital Territory ACT New South Wales NSW Norfolk Island NI Northern Territory NT Queensland QLD Southern Australia SA Tasmania TAS Victoria VIC Western Australia WA

Independence Day Gift Baskets Canada CA - Alberta AB British Columbia BC Manitoba MB New Brunswick NB Newfoundland/Labrador NL Northwest Territories NT NWT Nova Scotia NS Nunavut NU Ontario ON Prince Edward Island PE PEI Quebec QC PQ Saskatchewan SK Yukon Territory YT

Independence Day Gift Baskets Europe - Austria AU Belgium BE Bulgaria BU Czech Republic CZ Denmark DE Finland FI France FR Germany GE Greece GR Hungary HU Italy IT Luxembourg LU The Netherlands NE Norway NO Poland PL Portugal PO Republic of Ireland IR Romania RO Slovakia SK Bratislava Spain SP Sweden SW Switzerland SZ

Independence Day Gift Baskets Middle East - Egypt, EG Iran, IR Israel, IL Jordan, JO Kuwait, KW Lebanon, LB Oman, OM Qatar, QA Saudi Arabia, SA Syria, SY Turkey, TR United Arab Emirates, AE Yemen, YE

Independence Day Gift Baskets New Zealand NZ - Auckland AU Bay of Plenty BP Gisborne GI Hawke's Bay HB Manawatu-Wanganui MW Northland NL Taranaki TA Waikato WA Wellington WE Canterbury CB Marlborough MB Nelson NS Otago OT Southland SL Tasman TS West Coast WC

Independence Day Gift Baskets Puerto Rico PRGift Baskets Puerto Rico PR

Independence Day Gift Baskets Republic of Ireland Gift Baskets Republic of Ireland

Independence Day Gift Baskets South Africa SAGift Baskets South Africa

Independence Day Gift Baskets Southeast Asia - Bangladesh China India Indonesia Japan Macau Malaysia Philippines Singapore South Korea Taiwan Thailand Vietnam

Independence Day Gift Baskets United Kingdom UK - England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales

Independence Day Gift Baskets United States US USA - Alabama AL Alaska AK Arizona AZ Arkansas AR California CA Colorado CO Connecticut CT Delaware DE District of Columbia DC Florida FL Georgia GA Hawaii HI Idaho ID Illinois IL Indiana IN Iowa IA Kansas KS Kentucky KY Louisiana LA Maine ME Maryland MD Massachusetts MA Michigan MI Minnesota MN Mississippi MS Missouri MO Montana MT Nebraska NE Nevada NV New Hampshire NH New Jersey NJ New Mexico NM New York NY North Carolina NC North Dakota ND Ohio OH Oklahoma OK Oregon OR Pennsylvania PA Rhode Island RI South Carolina SC South Dakota SD Tennessee TN Texas TX Utah UT Vermont VT Virginia VA Washington WA West Virginia WV Wisconsin WI Wyoming WY

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