What is Independence Day?

Why this is the answer

Independence Day exists because of a single document. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and with it the colonies told Great Britain they were done being its colonies. The transcript kept by the National Archives opens under the heading "In Congress, July 4, 1776," and its final paragraph announces that the United Colonies are now free and independent states, released from any allegiance to the British Crown. Every Fourth of July is the anniversary of that adoption, which is why USCIS also accepts "the country's birthday" as an answer: the nation dates its existence from the day it declared it. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration as a statement of freedom from unfair treatment by Great Britain, and the USCIS study guide adds that it went on to inspire many other countries to claim their own freedom. John Adams saw the celebrations coming. In a letter to his wife he predicted that independence would be celebrated "by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival." They did, and Americans still mark it with parades, fireworks, patriotic songs and public readings of the Declaration. Two answers are on the official list, and they say the same thing from different angles. The first is a holiday to celebrate U.S. independence, with "from Britain" in parentheses, so you can add those words or leave them out. The second, the country's birthday, is the shortest thing you can say and still be right. Pay attention to what the question asks. "What is Independence Day?" is about meaning, not the calendar, and "July 4" by itself is not one of the accepted answers here. That date answered a different question on the 2008 test, which asked when we celebrate the holiday. If the date pops into your head first, put it inside a full answer: a holiday to celebrate our independence from Britain, every July 4. One more anchor stands in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand, and the date on it is July 4, 1776, the day the Declaration was adopted. Picture the statue and the fireworks together and the answer follows.