On July 4, 1776, the founders signed the Declaration of Independence. The country will celebrate its 246th birthday in the not-too-distant future.
On July 4, Americans gather to commemorate the country’s birthday and Independence Day. Most Americans are grilling in their backyards, at the beach, or in playgrounds on this day.
Some people like parades and marches, as well as the fireworks that are frequently detonated at twilight. They start the celebrations with facts, trivia, and anything else you need to know about the Fourth of July.
What Is America’s Age?
July 4th is America’s birthday since 1776.
As per the Library of Congress, Philadelphians celebrated the first anniversary of American independence. It wasn’t until following the War of 1812 that the Fourth of July celebrations expanded across the new country.
On June 28, 1870, Congress approved legislation declaring Independence Day a federal holiday.
What Did America Look Like Before 1776?
Before the Thirteen Colonies declared independence in 1775, the American region was known as British America. Great Britain was in charge of the administration.
Delegates from the Thirteen Colonies declared war on Great Britain in 1775. They cited their opposition to Parliament’s taxation practices and lack of colonial representation.
After their founding in the 1600s, the colonies were mostly left to their own ways.
The Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767 sparked protests and instability in the colonies.
When Massachusetts issued the Intolerable Acts in the spring of 1774, twelve colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress. This was in order to create a Petition to the King and organize a boycott of British products.
In 1776, How Big Was the United States?
The United States has a population of little over 330 million people now. The population was 2.5 million people 244 years ago, according to the US Census Bureau.
The United States has multiplied 130 times its original size in two and a half centuries. And is currently the world’s third most populous country. Wherein China has 1.40 billion and India has 1.36 billion population.
Independence Day Background
While most had already learned this bit of history in schools, you were certainly not paying attention as break or the end of the day neared. But you can’t enjoy these freedoms. Unless you understand how America came to have them in the first place.
More importantly, how close they came to losing them. The story of America’s independence is interesting. Along with far more historical plot twists than we can possibly cover in one article. But we can at least get you started with the fundamentals.
Despite the fact that Christopher Columbus was among the first Europeans to sight the American continent, the Spanish were the first to establish in what is now the United States. They were constructing towns in New Mexico and Florida. Including Saint Augustine and Santa Fe.
By the mid-seventeenth century, the English had made their mark on the Atlantic Coast and constructed Jamestown, Virginia as the very first colony. The British created the 13 colonies between the 17th and 18th centuries, with Georgia becoming the last colony in 1733.
The American Revolutionary War erupted in the late eighteenth century. As a result of tensions between the 13 colonies and the British government over a lack of representation and the enforcement of high taxes.
The war between the United States and the United Kingdom began in April 1775. And concluded in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris between the two countries. Americans, though, approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This is just about a year after the fighting started.
This day marks the birth of the United States of America, which is celebrated on July 4th every year. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, the British acknowledged the independence of the united states.
The United States has evolved from 13 colonies (given statehood on different dates) to fifty states in 2.5 centuries, creating the third or fourth-largest country in terms of total land.
How Does America Line Up Against the World’s Oldest Nations?
So, while 246 years may seem like a long time in human or dog years, the United States is still a young country. The Republic of San Marino, a small landlocked country within Italy, is thought to be the oldest country on the planet. Although there is a huge difference between country and empire. It was formed in 301 BCE, giving it a current age of 2,321 years.
France (CE 843), Austria (CE 976), Portugal (CE 1143), and Thailand (CE 1143) are further instances of countries that have not evolved greatly since their initial conception (CE 1238).
Going back to the United States’ declaration of independence from the United Kingdom, the history and age of those colonial masters is a far more complex subject to a recount.
What Is the Origin of the Name America?
The continent of America was called after Amerigo Vespucci. He was an Italian explorer who proposed the then-revolutionary idea that the territories Christopher Columbus sailed to in 1492 were part of a different continent. He presented material obtained by Vespucci on his journeys to the New World in 1501 and 1502.
The National Anthem of the United States
The Star-Spangled Banner is the American national anthem. On September 14, 1814, US soldiers unfurled a giant American flag at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, to commemorate a win over British forces during the War of 1812.
These events inspired Francis Scott Key, who wrote the poem “Defense of Fort M’Henry.” It was given the Star-Spangled Banner and the National Anthem of the United States.
In the End
When considering the date based on the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, most historians have estimated that the United States will be 246 years old this year.
The country could be 527 years old – still a “baby” in contrast to other nations. Because, as we discussed there are older countries in comparison to the United States.
