The Fourth of July 2015 has arrived, and millions will be celebrating America's Day of Independence on Saturday and throughout the weekend.
Even though America has had its freedom since 1776, the Fourth of July's history may surprise: America's Fourth of July celebration has only been official since 1941.
The Fourth of July has been celebrated since the beginning of America's freedom, however.
From History.com: "In June 1776, representatives of the 13 colonies then fighting in the revolutionary struggle weighed a resolution that would declare their independence from Great Britain. On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later its delegates adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 until the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with typical festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues."
In honor of America's Independence Day, here are some inspirational quotes about freedom for the Fourth of July 2015:
"Give me liberty or give me death!" –Patrick Henry
I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance." --John Adams
"It is, indeed, a fallacy, base on no logic at all, for any American to suggest that the rule of force can defeat human freedom in all the other parts of the world and permit it to survive in the United States alone. But it has been that childlike fantasy itself that misdirected faith which has led nation after nation to go about their peaceful tasks, relying on the thought, and even the promise, that they and their lives and their government would be allowed to live when the juggernaut of force came their way." --Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1941
"Equal and exact justice to all men...freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected, these principles form the bright constellation, which has gone before us." --Thomas Jefferson
"America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." — Harry S. Truman
"Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth." --George Washington
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." --Thomas Jefferson
"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth." --Abraham Lincoln
