Intro
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Alt: City skyline against fireworks (AP Images)
July 4 has been recognized as Independence Day in the United States ever since the country’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. To mark the occasion, Americans celebrate with parades, fireworks, concerts and other festive activities.
New York’s Empire State Building is backlit by fireworks exploding over the Hudson River during the 2011 Fourth of July fireworks show.
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Alt: A horse-drawn wagon making its way down a parade route (AP Images)
Hundreds of people turn out to watch the annual Fourth of July parade make its way down the main street of Capitan, New Mexico. Here, spectators are greeted by the sight of a horse-drawn wagon, symbolizing the pioneer history of the Old West.
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Alt: Uniformed musicians playing trumpets (AP Images)
Music always has played a prominent role in U.S. Independence Day celebrations. Each year, members of the U.S. Army Field Band play with the Boston Pops Orchestra at an outdoor Fourth of July show along the Charles River in Boston. The annual show, watched by television audiences as well as concertgoers, includes a fireworks display.
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Alt: Children competing in a sack race (AP Images)
Gleeful youngsters head for the finish line during a sack race at Lake Contrary in St. Joseph, Missouri. The race is just one of many children’s events at the annual “Fourth at the Lake” celebration.
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Alt: Laser show above public space (Courtesy of Excitement Technologies)
Fourth of July fireworks shows are wildly popular, but some American towns are looking at alternatives. Why? Fireworks are expensive and can be hard on the environment because of toxins in the colorful displays and the gunpowder required to shoot them into the air.
In 2011, the city of Amarillo, Texas, found an alternative to fireworks: a musical laser show.
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Alt: Beachgoers splashing in the ocean (AP Images)
Fourth of July beach visitors cool off in the Atlantic Ocean at the Inlet of Ocean City, Maryland. U.S. beaches typically attract large crowds of holiday revelers throughout the long Independence Day weekend — and also during the rest of the summer.
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Alt: Fife players, dressed in Colonial garb, marching in parade (AP Images)
Members of the East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Kentish Guards perform during the Bristol, Rhode Island, Independence Day parade. It is the oldest Fourth of July parade in the country, and these fife players are wearing period costumes that recall Rhode Island’s status as one of the original 13 states of the Revolutionary War era.
Related article: "Fourth of July Music Reflects U.S. History, Diversity"
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Alt: Little girl wearing Fourth of July headdress (AP Images)
Many towns organize Fourth of July events especially for families. Here, a little girl looks over the back of her decorated red wagon during a community picnic at Gutierrez Park in Harlingen, Texas. The picnic featured a red wagon contest, face painting, an inflatable slide and lots of watermelon.
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Alt: A man costumed as “Uncle Sam” waves (AP Images)
Dressed as the U.S. mascot known as “Uncle Sam,” a man waves to spectators during the annual Fourth of July parade in Alamogordo, New Mexico. A folklore figure who personifies the United States, “Uncle Sam” is often depicted as an elderly man with white hair and a white goatee who wears a stars-and-stripes top hat that resembles the U.S. flag. The first illustration of this figure appeared in 1852, but the term “Uncle Sam” dates back to the War of 1812.
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Alt: A man holding a toddler on his shoulders (AP Images)
A man holds his granddaughter on his shoulders as they watch the Fourth of July parade in Anchorage, Alaska. On Independence Day, residents of Anchorage gather to enjoy a communal breakfast of pancakes, a downtown parade, a picnic, cultural events, sports and family activities. Alaskans also flock to local campgrounds over the Fourth of July weekend.
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Alt: A young woman, wearing a hijab, waving a U.S. flag (AP Images)
Latifa Benelfarsi, originally from Morocco, takes the oath of U.S. citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Boston. Many communities across the United States hold naturalization ceremonies on July 4 as part of their Independence Day celebrations.
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Alt: Three men on stage, one holds a microphone and another holds a guitar (AP Images)
Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart, center, pauses with Aerosmith's lead singer Steven Tyler, left, and guitarist Joe Perry during rehearsal for a Fourth of July show in Boston. Music of all sorts — pop, rock, hip-hop, country, blues, folk and classical — is performed at outdoor concerts across the United States on Independence Day.
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Alt: Three women enjoying a picnic lunch (AP Images)
Friends and relatives gather for a picnic lunch at the McClellanville Fourth of July celebration in McClellanville, South Carolina. Like all outdoor meals, Independence Day picnics are relaxed, informal affairs, and they typically feature popular summer dishes such as barbecued meat, potato salad and corn-on-the-cob.
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Photo: http://photos.america.gov/galleries/amgov/30145/july0409/0704_13.jpg
Credit: AP Images
Alt: Child competing in a pie-eating contest (AP Images)
A 6-year-old competitor looks up at the crowd as she eats a portion of cherry pie during a pie-eating contest in Grand Rapids, Nebraska. The contest is a tradition at the local Fourth of July celebration, and competitors must dive into their pies face first — no hands allowed!
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Alt: Fourth of July fireworks reflecting off the granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (AP Images)
Fourth of July fireworks reflect off the granite wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a revered landmark in Washington. In the background is another iconic structure, the Washington Monument.
Related article: "U.S. Independence Day a Civic and Social Event"