From the sandy beach towns of Southern California to the rocky coasts of Maine, Americans celebrated the ratification of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 with flags, fireworks, hot dogs and parades.
Some revelers didn’t wait until July 4 to celebrate the historic adoption by the Second Continental Congress, seen as the beginning of the United States of America, like crowds in Sarasota, Florida, on July 3.
In Gilmanton, New Hampshire, even dogs got in on the act as people marched on parade in the town of around 4,000.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood icon and former governor of California, addressed some of the nation’s newest citizens at Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia.
At the naturalization event, Schwarzenegger reflected on his own remarkable journey since coming to America.
“Fifty-seven years ago when I came to this country, not in my wildest dreams did I think that one day this immigrant would be asked to lay a wreath at George Washington’s tomb — and to be asked to give the keynote speech at this spectacular event here today,” he said.
In Norris, Tennessee, they celebrate the occasion with an “anvil shoot,” which is when gunpowder is used to launch a 200-pound anvil into the air.
“Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to commemorate holidays, elections and other special occasions,” the Museum of Appalachia says on its website.
In Brooklyn, a different kind of dog had its day — the hot dog, one of America’s signature foods. Joey Chestnut regained the championship at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, an annual Fourth of July tradition.
In Wisconsin, Hmong dancers took part in the parade in Sheboygan. The Hmong are an ethnic group from China and Southeast Asia. Sheboygan was the U.S. metro area with the 10th largest Hmong population in 2019, according to the Pew Research Center. (The largest was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota.)
More than 100 newly naturalized citizens were celebrated at Mount Vernon, the historic home of George Washington, including these three.
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, people lined the parade route in Banner Elk to celebrate the holiday.
