John Adams thought Americans should celebrate on July 2nd and turned down invitations to celebrate on July 4th in protest.

 

John Adams thought Americans should celebrate on July 2nd and turned down invitations to celebrate on July 4th in protest.

The Continental Congress voted on July 2, 1776, to declare independence from England.

The Congress formally adopted the Declaration two days later, with the Liberty Bell ringing to celebrate the historic event.

Because the vote took place on July 2nd, Adams believed this should be the day Americans celebrate each year. He said as much in a letter to his wife.

“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha in the History of America…”

While he wasn’t right about the date, he was correct in how Americans would celebrate the occasion each year with “pomp and parade.”

So stubborn in his belief that July 2nd was the correct date, he declined invitations to appear at events on the 4th of July.