The 4th of July Explained In 200 Words

Summer. You can't beat it. Nothing says Summer more than the 4th of July.

Yes, it's not a holiday about Summer, it's about celebrating independence from that country across the pond. On July 4th, 1776, we said "see ya" to Great Britain with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Back then, the big wigs in England decided that they were not being included in all the fun going on in the colonies. That's when they decided to get a chunk of what they owned by adding taxes, since they were the mother country and were providing defense.

That didn't set well with the colonists. "Taxation Without Representation" was not a good thing, and they let momma country know. Of course that didn't make the grumpy English smile, so war began as the American Revolution, and on July 4th, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was adopted. War continued until 1783, with the new United States victorious.

No more bullying from Great Britain, and no more taxes. Well, except for town, city, village, county, state, federal, sales and other taxes. Hmm, can we revolt against those? In case you can't get out to watch some fireworks, watch these, and Happy 4th of July!