Where is Independence Day celebrated? The answer has to be. in many places.

While most people in the United States think immediately of the 4th of July as Independence Day, there are several other instances of this phrase being applied in other nations.

However, it may be best to start with Independence Day in the United States, and try to clarify just which day is being discussed.

Instead of asking where Independence Day is celebrated; we might ask when it is celebrated.

For the past 200+ years, citizens, writers and media commentators have toyed with the idea that US Independence Day is celebrated on the wrong date altogether.

History shows that the leaders of the new nation approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

But these same historical records indicate that the first signatures weren't placed on the original document until August 2. Some representatives didn't sign until months later.

So is July 4 the official Independence Day? Technically, maybe not, but judging from the celebrations that take place across the nation, the 4th of July will remain Independence Day for citizens of the United States.

One of the first items to consider with any study of Independence Day is the political climate surrounding the date. When the British colonists in the New World decided to become citizens of their own country, they were trying to get away from paying taxes to England without being represented there.

REMEMBERING THE START OF INDEPENDENCE

ENGLAND USES GUN-BARREL DIPLOMACY

Where is Independence Day celebrated? It’s celebrated in the US, because of the king’s response to diplomacy.

The king's response was to send men with guns to put down the rebellion.

When the first shot was fired, there was no turning back in this struggle for independence from the King of England.

Representatives to the colonial Congress tried for months to work out the disagreement with the mother country, to no avail.

In 1776, the group decided it was time to formally declare that this association of 13 colonies would become a new country. July 4 became the date for celebrating this decision.

Within a few years, communities across the small US territory were holding fireworks displays and parades to mark the occasion.

CELEBRATIONS BEGAN IMMEDIATELY

Where is Independence Day celebrated? The answer. just about everywhere in the US.

One year after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the date was marked in almost every one of the states. Rhode Island used a thirteen-gun salute.

A formal dinner was held in Philadelphia. Later celebrations included extra rum for soldiers and original music compositions.

Cities from New York to Miami and from Chicago to Los Angeles bring out the red, white and blue bunting, flags and fireworks to celebrate the historic event.

Water and boats figure heavily into the celebrations, as Lake Michigan near Chicago, the Charles River in Boston and other sites are used for fireworks displays and flotillas decked out in the traditional colors.

FESTIVALS, FESTIVALS EVERYWHERE

Not to be left out are such special programs as the Freedom Festival in Utah and the huge celebration in central Ohio.

Perhaps because of the worldwide significance of the United States own Independence Day, other countries have applied the phrase to their own dates.

Some might point out that groups of people and other nations have declared independence from tyranny in the past, without using a particular phrase.

But in recent years, the term has been adopted by print and electronic media to mark specific dates around the globe.

Where is Independence Day celebrated? The answer. across the globe. For example, a majority of Albanian groups in Kosovo first recorded September 7, 1990 as the day of independence.

Sitting Bull and other chiefs of the Lakota Sioux nation declared independence from the United States a century after the original US was formed.

In India, January 26, 1930 is sometimes referred to as a day of total independence. However, August 15, 1947 is formally recognized as the day when the country was completely free of British rule.

When the question where is Independence Day celebrated comes up, the answer has to be. in many places.

Around the world, people struggle for and declare independence, seeking freedom to live as they wish. In the last two centuries, the US independence effort has served as a model for these efforts.