Show Early Fourth Story Retold The first July 4 celebrations set a pattern that has made the Fourth glorious ever since Parades fireworks speeches speech es band music and general jubilation marked the early observances the National Geo Gea Geographic o. o graphic Society says On July 8 1776 a large crowd of Philadelphians gathered gathered gath ered in Independence Square to listen to John Nixon read the Declaration of Independence Independence dence Bence adopted four days be fore Nixon stood on a platform plat form that the American Philosophical Philosophical Phil Society had erected a few years earlier to observe the transit of Venus Charles Biddle of the famous fa Philadelphia Biddies said of the first Fourth There were few respectable persons present John Adams however was more enthusiastic He wrote Three cheers the wel wel- kin The battalions paraded on the Common and gave us the feu de joie salute notwithstanding notwithstanding standing the scarcity of pow pow- der The bells rang all day and almost all night CONGRESS ADJOURNED Next year two days before July 4 it occurred to the Continental Continental Con Congress that something some thing should be done about the first anniversary of the Dec Arrangements were quickly made to adjourn Congress Congress Con Con- gress for the day and hold a special dinner in Philadelphia In a letter to his daughter r John Adams described the Ithe fe fes festivities festivities s Bells rang all day there were bonfires in the th streets and fireworks in thE th e evening Warships in the rive broke out their flags and fire d salutes A captured Hessian ban bane d furnished the music for the th e special dinner served at 3 pm p.m. in a city tavern Between elaborate elaborate ela ela- borate toasts a company of soldiers fired volleys After the dinner the soldiers paraded Taking a stroll that evening Adams was surprised to find the whole city lighting up candies candles can can- dIes at the windows I walked most of the evening and I think it was the most splendid illumination I ever saw a few surly houses were dark but the lights were very sal The dark houses houses- presumably belonged to royalists Later inthe in inthe inthe the evening some of the unlighted un tin lighted windows were broken by patriots CONSTITUTION PARADED In 1788 Philadelphia again celebrated the Fourth and also the recent ratification of the Constitution with a three-hour three parade A carriage in the shape of an eagle carried the Constitution w which h hie i c h was framed and fixed on a staff crowned with a liberty cap The words The uThe People were written in gold letters on the staff During the next 25 years Independence Day was observed observed observed ob ob- served as a primarily partisan celebration The party in power power power pow pow- er regularly excluded its opponents opponents opponents op op- from the festivities In 1800 two Philadelphia schoolmasters staunch Federalists Federalists Federalists Feder Feder- stalked out of a Fourth Too n 0 ox of July JUlY exercise exercise t when a a. pupil iu insisted on reading the Declaration Declaration Dec Dec- of Independence That seditious document was too closely associated with Thorn Thorn- r as Jefferson a Republican I j I Democrat Many citizens were i I ant to take part in Fourth of July ceremonies dominated by what one newspaper called office seekers and demagogues ues It urged the general public public pub pub- lic lie to turn out and break the politicians' politicians monopoly on July Julys s 4 4 The partisan spirit had subsided subsIded subsided sub- sub sided by 1826 The ann anniversary anniversary anni- anni I. I of the Declaration of Independence was widely celebrated cele cele- celebrated as a community affair 1 I with parades and picnics A remarkable but sad I dence deuce on July 4 1826 further c helped knit together the young r r nation On that day both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died |