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On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
But the American Revolutionary War was already in its second year. The 56 men who signed the Declaration had risked their lives. If the United States lost the war, the British government could execute them as traitors. As Benjamin Franklin may have said: “Now we must all hang together, or most assuredly we will all hang separately.” They would have to wait until the war was over to know their fate.
▲ British soldiers were nicknamed Redcoats. That’s because they wore bright red jackets. Men from all the colonies joined the Continental Army, led by General George Washington. These soldiers were new and often poorly trained and armed. They faced the hard and dangerous task of fighting the large and well-trained British Army.
◀ In 1777, the outnumbered and tired Continental Army badly needed a victory. British forces had captured New York. They’d forced Washington’s army back through New Jersey into Pennsylvania. A new British force of 6,000 men led by General John Burgoyne was marching south from Canada to Albany, New York. They were going to meet the larger British Army in New York City. During a long march through big forests, American forces attacked from all sides. American troops surrounded Burgoyne’s tired fighters near Saratoga, New York, and forced them to give up. The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point. It gave Americans hope that they could beat the British.
▲ In 1781, an American army accepted the surrender of most British forces in the field. Two years later, the final peace agreement was signed. At last the colonies were free. Now the hard work of creating a new nation could begin.
◀ Are we lighting fireworks on the wrong day? On July 2, 1776, members of the Second Continental Congress voted. They passed a resolution declaring independence from Britain. John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that July 2 would become the great American holiday. He said it would be “commemorated as the Day of Deliverance” by future generations. But Congress argued for two more days. On July 4, they accepted the actual wording of the Declaration. On August 2, a final copy was brought to Congress for signing.
John Hancock was an early supporter of independence. The British offered a large reward for the capture of Hancock and other leading rebels. According to an old story, when Hancock signed the Declaration, he joked: “The British Ministry can read that name without spectacles. Let them double their reward.” Today, “John Hancock” is another word for signature. ▶
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▲ On July 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell rang out, calling people to the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It was the first public reading of the Declaration. Readings like this took place all over the country. Created in 1751, the Liberty Bell later became a sign of freedom. People fighting slavery in the 1800s used the bell as a symbol for their cause.
