An earlier version of the celebration, first shown by ... "View of Centre Square on the Fourth of July," the painting symbolized the growing stratification of Philadelphia society by showing ...

It also became a federal holiday on June 28 that year. During the first Fourth of July celebration in Philadelphia, a cannon was fired 13 times, and 13 fireworks were set off in honor of the ...

Fast-forward to a June 1776 Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia ... The post What Is the 4th of July, and Why Do We Celebrate It? appeared first on Reader's Digest.