Independence Day (United States) Independence Day (United States) Independence Day (colloquial: the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as free and independent states, the United States of America, and were no longer connected to the British Crown. The Congress actually voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various
Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire as a pretext for imperialism. In response, the U.S. imposed an oil embargo on Japan in August 1941 to stop aiding their aggression in Asia and to contain Japanese actions such as their war crimes in Nanking. Japan saw this as a hostile and provocative act, and retaliated with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declarations of war on the US and the British Empire. Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire The declaration of war by the Empire of Japan on the United States and the British Empire was published on December 8,