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Fourth of July
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The Stories Hollywood Tells About America
How three movies set on the Fourth of July reproduce popular myth, but reveal even more through what they leave unsaid.
by
Emily Tamkin
via
New Lines
on
July 4, 2024
The Fourth of July Has Always Been Political
The question is which vision of America it’s being used to advance.
by
David Waldstreicher
via
The Atlantic
on
July 4, 2019
What Could Go Wrong for Trump on July 4th? In 1970, Protests and Tear Gas Marred the Day.
"Honor America Day" was designed to showcase support for President Nixon at a time of bitter division.
by
Ronald G. Shafer
via
Retropolis
on
July 2, 2019
The Sounds of Independence
How was the Fourth of July celebrated during the Revolutionary War?
by
Emily Sneff
via
Uncommon Sense
on
July 2, 2019
partner
The Ominous History Surrounding President Trump’s Fourth of July Rally
White nationalists have long used the holiday to advance their dreams of a white country.
by
Christopher F. Petrella
via
Made By History
on
February 28, 2019
When the Fourth of July Was a Black Holiday
After the Civil War, African Americans in the South transformed Independence Day into a celebration of their newly won freedom.
by
Ethan J. Kytle
,
Blain Roberts
via
The Atlantic
on
July 3, 2018
partner
Partisans Often Try To Claim July 4 As Their Own. It Usually Backfires.
Independence Day has always been a political battlefield.
by
Kevin M. Kruse
via
Made By History
on
July 3, 2017
partner
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech is widely known as one of the greatest abolitionist speeches ever.
via
BackStory
on
July 7, 2014
How the Complete Meaning of July Fourth Is Slipping Away
John Adams would not be happy to see what Independence Day has become.
by
Gordon S. Wood
via
The New Republic
on
July 4, 2011
The Night Before the Fourth
The great bonfires of Gallows Hill—and what they tell us about America.
by
Yoni Appelbaum
via
The Atlantic
on
July 1, 2011
Which States Have the Most Dead Presidents?
The answer reveals grave robbing problems for America’s deceased leaders.
by
Frank Jacobs
via
Atlas Obscura
on
October 20, 2023
Frederick Douglass and the Trouble with Critical Race Theory
A favorite icon of critical race theory proponents doesn’t say what they want him to say.
by
Robert S. Levine
via
Los Angeles Review of Books
on
August 2, 2021
partner
July Fourth is Independence Day for Two Countries. But for One It is Hollow.
For the Philippines, independence from the United States came with strings attached.
by
Christopher Capozzola
via
Made By History
on
July 4, 2021
Dreams of a Revolution Deferred
How African-Americans in Early America celebrated the Declaration of Independence's ideals, even as basic freedoms were denied to them.
by
Derrick R. Spires
via
Uncommon Sense
on
June 30, 2020
What’s Next?
Expanding the radical promise of the American Revolution.
by
Holly Jackson
via
Lapham’s Quarterly
on
October 10, 2019
What to an American Is the Fourth of July?
Power comes before freedom, not the other way around.
by
Ibram X. Kendi
via
The Atlantic
on
July 4, 2019
It Isn’t Independence Day For Everyone
If the British had won the Revolutionary War, things might be very different for Native Americans.
by
Steve Teare
via
The Nib
on
July 4, 2019
An Ives Fourth
Nostalgia or nightmare?
by
Sudip Bose
via
The American Scholar
on
July 4, 2019
The Declaration Heard Around the World
The declaration's words and sentiments have inspired nations and movements around the world.
by
Louis Menand
via
The New Yorker
on
July 4, 2019
Convulsions Within: When Printing the Declaration of Independence Turns Partisan
Even America's founding document isn't immune to the powers of polarization.
by
Emily Sneff
via
Age of Revolutions
on
July 4, 2018
The History of Military Parades in the U.S.
The Trump Administration has clamored for a military parade. What are the origins of tank-led celebrations?
by
Marissa Fessenden
via
Smithsonian
on
February 7, 2018
Was the Declaration of Independence Signed on July 4?
How memory plays tricks with history.
by
Ray Raphael
via
Journal of the American Revolution
on
October 10, 2017
American Consumer Empire in Puerto Rico
Puerto Ricans were forced to become “Porto Ricans” – adopting Anglo customs while subsidizing American profits.
by
William Horne
via
The Activist History Review
on
July 14, 2017
How Charleston Celebrated Its Last July 4 Before the Civil War
As the South Carolina city prepared to break from the Union, its people swung between nostalgia and rebellion.
by
Paul Starobin
via
What It Means to Be American
on
June 29, 2017
What if the Fourth of July Were Dry?
In 1855, prohibitionists set their sights on the wettest day of the year.
by
Kyle G. Volk
via
OUPblog
on
July 4, 2014
Kaboom! 10 Facts About Firecrackers That Will Blow You Away
Firecrackers are essentially un-American, even though we associate them with our most deeply patriotic celebration, the Fourth of July.
by
Lisa Hix
via
Collectors Weekly
on
July 3, 2014
From Son of the Revolution to Old Man Eloquent
A new Library of America edition of John Quincy Adams’s writings demonstrates the enduring appeal—and real shortcomings—of his revolutionary conservatism.
by
Michael Lucchese
via
Law & Liberty
on
April 11, 2025
What, to the American, Is Revolutionary?
The colonial rebellion we celebrate every July 4th doesn’t fit the definition.
by
Kellie Carter Jackson
via
The Emancipator
on
July 2, 2024
The Scandalous Roots of the Amusement Park
The "Pleasure Gardens" of the 18th Century captivated the public with a heady mix of fantasy and vice.
by
Cath Pound
via
BBC News
on
August 21, 2022
Break the History Addiction
July 4 and the perils of celebrating America’s past.
by
David Armitage
via
New York Daily News
on
July 3, 2022
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