US Independence Day 2021 – Theme, History, Quotes, Heroes

US Independence Day is on July 4, 2021. The day is observed as a holiday along with a complete celebration in all 50 states and other US territories. In 2021, US Independence Day falls on Sunday and Monday, July 5, 2021, will be observed as a holiday, apart from Texas. Since this is a federal leave, not only will schools and libraries be closed, most national and state offices will be closed.

When is US Independence Day 2021?

Independence Day 2021 is a federal leave and comes on the fourth of July. The day of the week that the festival falls on, changes each year. If July 4 is a Saturday, it is considered on Friday, July 3. If July 4 is a Sunday, it is considered on Monday, July 5

US Independence Day Theme 2021

Independence Day 2021 theme embraces the importance of patriotism and brings forward or highlight the heroes of past. The day also recognized as the Fourth of July, is a national holiday celebrated yearly on July fourth. It is the anniversary of the announcement of the declaration of independence of the United States of America from Great Britain in 1776.

Check here for Free Gk Quizzes and Mock Tests!

History of Independence Day

On July 4th 1776, the United States of America announced its independence from England by approving the Declaration of Independence. While the signing of the Declaration itself was not built until August, the Fourth of July holiday is seen as the sanctioned anniversary of U.S. independence.

Although Philadelphians noted the first anniversary of independence in 1777 with casual festivities in the streets of Philadelphia, the first documented use of the name “Independence Day” wasn’t until 1791 and Independence Day ceremonies only became common after the War of 1812.

By the 1870s, Independence Day had become the most significant secular holiday on the American calendar and has converted into what is known as the 4th of July today. In 1870, The U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal workers, though it wasn’t till 1941 that Congress declared Independence Day to be a paid federal holiday.

How is Independence Day Celebrated?

Independence Day is the most nationalistic and enthusiastically dedicated of all America’s holidays. There will be parades, barbeques, picnics, shows, ceremonies related to it, fireworks and a complete celebration atmosphere everywhere in the country.

Notable celebration

Yankee Doodle

Formerly called Yankee Doodle, this is one of the variants of a display painted by A. M. Willard that came to be known as The Spirit of ’76. Often copied or exaggerated, it is a common symbol of American patriotism.

Traditions followed on Independence Day

Independence Day 2021 is a day of family holidays with picnics and barbecues, giving a great chance of emphasis on the American culture of political independence, liberty and patriotism. Several people present the American flag outside their homes or buildings. Moreover, Independence Day 2021 fireworks along with patriotic songs such as the national anthem and a salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a “salute to the union”, happens on Independence Day 2021 at noon.

Attempt a GK mock test here to unlock more!

US Independence Day 2021 Quotes

• “You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” – Erma Bombeck
• “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.” – John F. Kennedy
• “So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. / Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. / Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! / Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! / Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! / But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! / Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! / Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. / From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” – Rev. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr
• “We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls. – Robert J. McCracken
• “America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact—the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality.”- Adlai Stevenson
• “Independence Day: freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
• “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” – John F. Kennedy
• “In a chariot of light from the region of the day, / The Goddess of Liberty came / She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love, / The plant she named Liberty Tree.” / “He that would make his own liberty ​secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty / he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.” – Thomas Paine

Heroes of Independence Day

• George Washington – He was the First President of the United States.
• Benjamin Franklin – scientist, inventor, visionary, statesman and philosopher.
• Thomas Jefferson – He wrote and drafted the Declaration of Independence for the United States.
• Abigail Adams – Solved the riff between two former U.S. presidents.
• Molly Pitcher – Revolutionary War heroine who bravely held water to soldiers on the battlefield.
• Dolley Madison – admired for her social graces, courage and patriotism as First Lady of the US.
• Alexander Hamilton: The Unknown Founding Father
• Paul Revere – Proved with his life for the freedom of the American colonies.

Books Related to US Independence

• Blue Sky White Stars by Sarvinder Naberhaus, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Grover Cleveland, Again! by Ken Burns, illustrated by Gerald Kelley
• We Came To America by Faith Ringgold
• My Fourth of July by Jerry Spinelli, illustrated by Larry Day
• What’s the Big Deal About Americans? by Ruby Shamir, illustrated by Matt Faulkner
• The Night Before the Fourth of July by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Amy Wummer
• How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. by Marjorie Priceman
• Independence Cake by Deborah Hopkinson, illustrated by Giselle Potter

Click here to download Entri App! Grab GK and Current Affairs materials!

Movies Related to US Independence             

• The American President
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
• Air Force One
• Top Gun (1986)
• Independence Day (1996)
• National Treasure
• Zero Dark Thirty
• Jaws (1975)
• Mr Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

There is more to know about the US Independence, which is vast and wide. You can check the Entri App for more General Knowledge and Current Affairs topic to enrich your knowledge. If you are preparing for a government exam, then you must have a great hold on the general topics and current affairs. Make sure to keep updated and know the history well!