I am writing this on July 2nd and if John Adams had his way this would be the day we Americans celebrate our independence. On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, formally voted to approve Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee’s June 7 motion calling for independence. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence largely written by Thomas Jefferson, also of Virginia. Adams, it is said, felt so strongly we should be celebrating July 2nd that he would turn down invitations to appear at 4th of July events. I can relate to the great man’s stubbornness. Adams and Jefferson would both pass away fifty years later on July 4, 1826. in 1781, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4th an official state holiday and In 1870, Congress made the date a Federal holiday. Over the centuries, July 4th has been not only a celebration of our Independence but also of our unity and I hope it will always be so. For more history of July 4th, look here.