Special Feature
Independence Day 2012
Independence Day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It's a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks, and a reason to fly the American flag.
OFFICIAL TEXTS
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Remarks by the President at Fourth of July Celebration (Source: The White House, July 04, 2012)
THE PRESIDENT: How’s it going, everybody? (Applause.) Are you hot? It’s supposed to be hot. It’s the fourth of July. Happy Fourth of July, everybody! (Applause.) On behalf of the entire Obama family, welcome to the White House.
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Lady Liberty: 125 Years as Icon of Freedom (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital, October 26, 2011)
Washington — “Over the years, the meanings of the [Statue of Liberty] have grown until she has become an international icon of freedom and liberty, the most recognizable symbol of democracy in the world,” says the National Park Service, which has responsibility for both the statue and Ellis Island.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE AT THE ACK
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![Book: The Declaration of Independence [Scholastic Publication, 2007]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK1_001.jpg "Book: The Declaration of Independence [Scholastic Publication, 2007]")
Book: The Declaration of Independence [Scholastic Publication, 2002]
The Declaration of Independence is considered to be one of the greatest documents of all time. The central section of the declaration is a ringing assertion that every human being has an equal right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
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![Book: Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document : Featuring the Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection [University of Virginia Library Publication, 2010]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK2_001.jpg "Book: Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document : Featuring the Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection [University of Virginia Library Publication, 2010]")
Book: Declaring Independence: The Origin and Influence of America’s Founding Document : Featuring the Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection [University of Virginia Library Publication, 2010]
The Declaration of Independence is a statement of conviction and intent. When Jefferson wrote that `all men are created equal,' he, a slave master, knew perfectly how much had still to be done by those who would follow to attain such a society in fact not theory.
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![Book: Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence [Doubleday Publication, 1978]
Book: Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence [Doubleday Publication, 1978]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK3_001.jpg "Book: Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence [Doubleday Publication, 1978]
Book: Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence [Doubleday Publication, 1978]")
Book: Inventing America: Jefferson's Declaration of Independence [Doubleday Publication, 1978]
From one of America's foremost historians, Inventing America compares Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence with the final, accepted version, thereby challenging many long-cherished assumptions about both the man and the document.
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![Book: The Statue of Liberty [Scholastic Publication, 2003]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK4_001.jpg "Book: The Statue of Liberty [Scholastic Publication, 2003]")
Book: The Statue of Liberty [Scholastic Publication, 2003]
Emergent readers will discover the history and heritage of American symbols, such as the U.S. flag and the bald eagle, in this patriotic new series. The text introduces American symbols and explains why they represent America.
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![Book: Visions of Liberty: the Bill of Rights for All Americans [Arcade Publication, 1991]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK5_001.jpg "Book: Visions of Liberty: the Bill of Rights for All Americans [Arcade Publication, 1991]")
Book: Visions of Liberty: the Bill of Rights for All Americans [Arcade Publication, 1991]
The book is part history and part primer on the rights and liberties that have evolved out of judicial interpretations of the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution. Illustrated with photographs, the volume explores the development of the Bill of Rights since its birth and the evolving court standards on such vital issues as freedom of religion and expression, racial inequality, and fundamental fairness. An informative, highly readable resource.
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![Book: The Liberty Bell [Scholastic Publication, 2003]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK6_001.jpg "Book: The Liberty Bell [Scholastic Publication, 2003]")
Book: The Liberty Bell [Scholastic Publication, 2003]
Three cheers for the red, white, and blue! From the American flag to the bald eagle, the history and heritage of our great national symbols come to life in this patriotic new series.
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![Book: Liberty in Expansion, 1760-1850 [Haper & Row Publication, 1989]](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20130220233526im_/http://photos.state.gov/libraries/korea/716358/June%202012/ACK7_001.jpg "Book: Liberty in Expansion, 1760-1850 [Haper & Row Publication, 1989]")
Book: Liberty in Expansion, 1760-1850 [Haper & Row Publication, 1989]
Using an interesting thematic approach, the authors contend that change, especially the rapid expansion of the American frontier, resulted by necessity in a uniquely self-reliant, individualistic American character.
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DVD: Avalon
AVALON follows immigrant Sam Krichinsky and his extended family as they seek a dream called America in a place called Avalon. From poverty through prosperity, the Krichinsky family faces a changing world with enduring humor and abiding love.
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DVD: Freedom: A History of US: Fighting for Freedom
Freedom is the overarching theme of America’s history. It is what has drawn countless human being here from around the world, and it is what generations of American men and women have lived and died for. This film tells the story of the forging place of American liberty—the Revolutionary War.
VIDEO CLIPS
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Fourth of July Fireworks 7’04”(Source: Department of State, IIP Digital)
This video was produced by the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) in June 2011.
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Secretary Clinton and President Obama’s Message for Independence Day 2011 3’09”(Source: Department of State, IIP Digital)
Secretary Clinton and President Obama send their greetings on the occasion of the Independence Day holiday to Americans living and working overseas and to local embassy staff and their families.
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Actor Daniel Dae Kim Talks about His Korean Heritage- 5 Video Clips (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital)
Actor Daniel Dae Kim talks about his Korean heritage and the importance of maintaining a sense of himself in both the national American identity and the Korean-American community.
PHOTO GALLERIES
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The Fourth of July: Celebrating U.S. Independence Day (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital)
America's Independence Day is July 4, marking the date in 1776 when the country’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. It is celebrated with parades, fireworks, concerts and other festivities
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U.S. National Parks: The Jewels in the Crown (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital)
Each of the national parks in the U.S. system is unique, but some are more striking than others. Take a look at a few of the jewels in the system with this photo gallery.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS
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Outline of U.S. History (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital Publication, 185 pages)
A chronological look at how the United States took shape — from its origins as an obscure set of colonies on the Atlantic coast a little more than 200 years ago into what one political analyst today calls "the first universal nation." This fully illustrated edition has been completely revised and updated by Alonzo L. Hamby, Distinguished Professor of History at Ohio University.
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USA History in Brief (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital Publication, 68 pages)
The first title in the new "In Brief" series, this publication summarizes in a few thousand words the history of how the United States was founded and the forces and events that shaped the dynamic and varied country that it has become today. Korean »
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eJournal USA: Snapshot USA (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital Publication, 68 pages)
“Snapshot USA” approaches the current generation of young people from outside the United States, by offering some fundamental facts and build on these to describe a little of how Americans think about their country and the world, to provide a picture of who we are now.
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Historians on America (Source: Department of State, IIP Digital Publication, 92 pages)
Historians on America is a series of individual essays that selects specific moments, decisions, and intellectual or legislative or legal developments and explains how they altered the course of U.S. history. The book consists of 11 separate essays by major historians, ranging from The Trial of John Peter Zenger in 1735 to The Immigration Act of 1965.