Did you know?
Three of America’s first five presidents—Jefferson, Adams, and Monroe—died on July 4. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826—the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—and James Monroe followed five years later on July 4, 1831.
Congress actually voted to approve independence on July 2, 1776, leading many Founders to believe that would be the date Americans would one day celebrate.
The Declaration was first read publicly on July 8, most delegates signed it on August 2, and July 4 didn’t become a federal holiday until 1870.
But a shocking survey of Americans from the Cato Institute shows that nearly half (46%) of Americans don’t know what America’s 250th anniversary commemorates. A little more than half (53%) correctly answered that it was the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Dave Edwards Media 