July 4, 1787: Independence Day Celebration

The William J. Stone engraving of the Declaration of Independence, 1823.

National Archives, America's Founding Documents: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration

The...Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America was celebrated here...the train of artillery fired the salute of the Thirteen United States with three times thirteen rounds.

–The Pennsylvania Herald

Wednesday, July 4, 1787: The Convention Today

Delegates to the Convention enjoyed a recess for the Independence Day holiday. For the past month and a half, they had been struggling to create a new government for the United States in the room where the Declaration of Independence had been debated and signed. They must have felt a responsibility—even a burden—to live up to the promise of that moment eleven years earlier. The observance of Independence Day must have had great meaning for many of them. Seven of the Convention delegates had signed the Declaration of Independence, including two members (Franklin (PA) and Sherman (CT)) of the committee which wrote it. Franklin had signed the Treaty in which Great Britain recognized America's independence. Washington (VA) had commanded the army which won the war. Almost all the others had served in the army or on one or more of the committees, conventions, congresses, and state legislatures which had directed the war effort.

Synopsis

• The Convention was in recess for the holiday.

Delegates Today

• Dr. Johnson (CT) attended the celebration.
• General Washington visited Abraham Chovet's "Anatomical Museum of wax human figures" and then attended the oration at the German Lutheran Church. He dined with the Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati at Epple's tavern and drank tea at Mr. Powel's.
• Pierce Butler's (SC) wife, Mary Middleton Butler, wrote from New York to her son Thomas in London and included a telling comment on Philadelphia's summer climate: "Your Papa I left ten days since at Philadelphia. My health was so bad that I could not support the excessive heat of that Climate, and was obliged to come to a more temperate one."
• Governor William Livingston (NJ) delivered a patriotic speech at the July 4 celebration in Trenton, New Jersey.

Philadelphia Today

• Warm, sunny weather for Independence Day.
• From The Philadelphia Herald: "Entertainments were prepared at the City Tavern, at Epple's, Gray's Ferry, Fish-House, Wigwam, Geisse's and Lilliput, on the Jersey shore, &c. where different parties from this city and Jersey met with mutual humour, which always mark and characterize the Sons of Freedom on this glorious festival.