Skip to content

One Founding Father reportedly refused to celebrate Independence Day

cultureJul 5, 202628634

John Adams refused to celebrate July 4, insisting July 2, 1776, was the true date of American independence. Fifty-six delegates met in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia; the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2 and adopted Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence on July 4. Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776, calling July 2 "the most memorable Epocha" and predicting it would be commemorated "forward forever more" with "Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations." Adams held to that view for the rest of his life; historian Kenneth C. Davis told CBS News on America’s 240th birthday that Adams never celebrated the Fourth, "standing his ground" as other Founding Fathers marked July 4. George Washington and Alexander Hamilton were absent from the Continental Congress in Philadelphia because they were occupied with duties in the Continental Army. As the nation observes its 250th birthday, readers are revisiting Adams’s insistence on July 2 as the moment of national founding.

1 source