The 4th of July, 1776, marks the day America’s Independence Day was announced to its citizens and the world in general after congress collectively agreed that the previous 13 states that comprised the old America were named the United States of America, USA, now a sovereign nation that became free of the British rule.
Now that you know a little about the Americans and how they gained freedom, let’s quickly delve into why you’re interested in this topic.
Without wasting your time, the Americans are known to be loud with their celebration of such a remarkable day. It has been documented in the past, and it’s still on record that how they make their presence known to non-citizens that they are marking a special day that deserves all the fireworks, mingling, partying, paradings, exchange of gifts, sharing of nice meals and every other mind-blowing events you can imagine.
In celebrating the 4thOfJuly, Americans are pacesetters, they lead the way on how to host a celebration that can accommodate and entertain every person in the country.
While there are a couple of similarities between how Nigeria celebrates her independence with that of America. Over there, they are required (not by force) to wear Red, White and Blue clothes, as Nigerians rock the Green and White attires.
For those who are not aware of what Red, White and Blue, the colours that make up the American Flag stand for, well, this is the best time to learn about the world’s history.
The Red simply stands for Hardiness and Valor. Hardiness, according to the English Dictionary, is the ability to withstand hardship, some quality of being bold in the face of risk or authority.
Valour, on the other hand, points to ones worth, value, as well as the strength and firmness of the mind when it is faced with danger.
The White on the flag stands for Purity and Innocence, a belief the Americans see for its younger generations knowing that they are the leaders of tomorrow and hopefuls that would correct the mistakes of their past leaders.
Lastly, the Blue on the American flag is Vigilance, Perseverance and Purity. To use a clearer word to explain what vigilance stands for in this context, it simply means that you should ‘Shine You Eyes’.
Perseverance on its part was selected to have the will of American citizens progress without discouragement from previous failure or opposition, and final on the definition is Justice for all, the blacks, whites, Caucasians, etc.
Although days like the 4th of July are not all merriment, as they sometimes come with the anger of the white supremacists, a group of people that believe no other race aside from them is entitled to all the benefits that a true citizen should enjoy.
They sometimes cause chaos and unrest on the 4th of July, among other people with various skin colours, saying some racist words to make them feel lesser or make the blacks and other non-core Americans feel like they are not welcomed at all, to the extent that their law enforcement agents go on a rampage to start killing harmless blacks to prove a point.
But aside from those sadists making the country unbearable for others, their Independence Day celebration is one that other parts of the world can copy. There are a lot of fireworks to power up an entire state, neighbours that might have never said Hi to their fellow residents exchange pleasantries, dine at the same table, visit historic places to learn about the country’s past and hold some form of thanksgiving prayers to thank God for the present state the nation has grown into.
There are countless other ways people celebrate a day that marked their freedom from the captivity of the British. Some go sky diving, others go rock climbing, skiing, skating, motorbike stunting, street carnivals partying, among other adventurous activities on their Independence Day.