4TH FACTS

When the War of Independence ended in 1783, July 4 became
a holiday in some places. In Boston, it replaced the date
of the Boston Massacre, March 5, as the major patriotic
holiday. Speeches, military events, parades, and fireworks
marked the day. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal
holiday.


John Hancock, the president of the Second Continental
Congress, was the first to sign the Declaration. With its
ornate capitals, Hancock's sprawling signature is prominent
on the document. Since then, when people are asked for
their "John Hancock," they are being asked to sign their
names.

                          
The Declaration of Independence itself has become one of
the most admired and copied political documents of all time.
It was written by Thomas Jefferson and revised by John
Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Jefferson.



Uncle Sam was first popularized during the War of 1812,
when the term appeared on supply containers. The U. S.
Congress didn't adopt him as a national symbol until 1961.


The first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective
and had to be melted down and recast. The third version
rang every Fourth of July from 1778 to 1835, when, according
to tradition, it cracked as it was being tolled for the
death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

The American national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner,"
is set to the tune of an English drinking song ("To
Anacreon in Heaven").