Holiday: The Fourth of July (Independence Day)
© June 2020 Michael Krigline, MA 

Underlined terms are explained in the vocabulary section below. Note to teachers: This post contains an article for conversational English classes, followed by more information (from Dr Harvey Taylor) that would work well in a class about American history & culture.

“The Fourth of July” or “Independence Day” is a celebration of the birthday of the United States of America (USA). On July 4, 1776, the 13 colonial “States” agreed that they wanted independence from Great Britain, and were willing to fight together for it.

Before the USA was born, coastal North America had 13 colonies. Each “colony” belonged to Great Britain, and the British King promised settlers the “rights and privileges of Englishmen.” These rights included trial by jury, and electing their own leadership (which controlled taxes and wrote local laws). Over time, colonists felt that the British King was violating their rights and also breaking God’s law (they cited some 27 violations of things in the Bible). The King refused to discuss this, and sent an army in 1774.

The colonial leaders met in 1776, and 56 representatives signed the “Declaration of Independence” on July 4. Together they fought the “Revolutionary War,” which ended in 1783.

The new nation had a wide variety of people who spoke English, German, French, Dutch, native dialects, and more. They also expressed religious faith in different ways. How could they become united? Furthermore, each State didn’t want other Americans to rule them. In 1789, the new country agreed upon basic rules of government. “The Constitution” basically allowed each State to rule itself, with a limited national government in which power was divided between the States and balanced by separate courts and an elected president.* They also chose English as the common language, guaranteed the right to worship in a variety of ways, and selected George Washington to be the first President.

Today, “The Fourth of July” is celebrated as America’s “Independence Day.” You may see patriotic parades or TV specials, lots of American flags, and decorations in red, white and blue. Families like to go on vacation or visit relatives. It is summer, so picnics and backyard barbecue are popular. Favorite foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, potato salad, pork and beans, watermelon and ice cream. Sometimes companies or churches also have big “pot-luck” picnics, where everyone brings food to share. Outdoor activities are popular, like swimming, baseball, and children’s games, and many communities light up the evening sky with beautiful fireworks.

(See vocabulary terms, discussion questions, and photos below)

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Vocabulary: (underlined terms in either the article above or below)

• colony (colonist): an area under the political control of a more powerful country, usually far away. A “colonist” is sb who lives in a colony. [The British colonies in North America were primarily business ventures where people could get a “new start,” or a place where people could practice their religion freely (most European governments required everyone to have the same religion as the king).]
• fireworks: [always plural] gun powder that explodes in the sky, producing colorful light and a loud noise (焰火)
• jury: a group of fellow-citizens who decide (in a courtroom) if sb has committed a crime (jury-duty is a responsibility for US citizens, who are called to serve at random; most people don’t mind the idea of helping, though it means that they will be away from their job, and sometimes even away from their families for an unknown period of time)
• levy (levied): to require sb to pay a tax or charge. Ex: Some cities levy a sales tax on goods but not on food.
• parliament: a group elected to discuss political affairs and make laws (in America, other terms are used, such as City Council, State Legislature, National Congress)
• patriot (patriotic): someone who loves and is loyal to his/her country; “patriotic” is “like a patriot” or “expressing love for your country”
• picnic: a casual time when friends or family meet together for a meal (e.g., sandwiches or other things you can eat without dishes/forks/etc.) outdoors in a public park or similar place
• settlers: sb who goes to live in a place where not many people have lived before, hoping to build a city/society in that place
• violation: an action that breaks a law, religious principle, etc.

Discussion:

1. Are there any terms or ideas that you want the teacher to explain?
2. In your own words, summarize what happened on July 4, 1776.
3. What is the “birthday” or “national day” in your country? Tell us some ways that it is celebrated.
4. Both taxes and religious faith were mentioned in the article. In what ways were each important? What other challenges had to be overcome when the USA was first established.
5. What is “religious freedom”? Are people in your country free to change their religion, or worship in a variety of ways? Do you think “religious freedom” is good or bad? Explain.
6. If you were visiting America on July 4, what would you want to do or see as you celebrate this holiday with American friends?
7. Tell us what you would invite your international friends to do on your country’s “national birthday,” if they could visit you.

The Fourth of July

(Based on “Special Days Special Ways” ©Dr Harvey Taylor, Peking University Press)

1. Before the USA was born, coastal North America had 13 colonies. A “colony” belonged to Great Britain, and the British King promised settlers the “rights and privileges of Englishmen.” These rights included trial by jury, and electing their own parliament (which controlled taxes and wrote local laws). But the colonists increasingly thought that the King of England was violating these rights.
2. By the 1750s, five colonies were over 100 years old, and all 13 thought of themselves as mostly-independent “Nation-States” (under Great Britain—like England, Scotland, Canada…).
3. In 1763, after a 70-year global war, England defeated France; in North America, colonists (like Col. George Washington) had done much of the fighting. The British King levied taxes to pay for the war without the consent of colonial parliaments, and the colonists didn’t think this was legal.
4. In 1774, when representatives from these 13 colonial “States” gathered, they decided they had a lot in common with each other; they also agreed that the British King was breaking both historic agreements and also God’s law (they cited some 27 violations of things in the Bible).
5. The King refused to discuss this, and sent an army.
6. The colonial leaders met again in 1776, and 56 representatives signed the “Declaration of Independence” on July 4. So July 4, 1776, was the date when the 13 “States” agreed that they wanted independence from Britain, and were willing to fight together for it.
7. Together, the colonists fought the “Revolutionary War,” which ended in 1783 (the final victory also included help from France). The new nation also had a wide variety of people who spoke English, German, French, Dutch, native dialects, and more. Freedom of religion was also important to them. How could they become united?
8. Now that they were independent of British control, each State didn’t want other American States/leaders to rule them. In 1789, the new country agreed upon basic rules of government. “The Constitution” organized government so that each State basically ruled itself, with a limited national parliament in which power was divided between the States and balanced by separate courts and an elected president.* They also chose English as the common language, guaranteed the right to worship in a variety of ways, and selected George Washington to be the first President.
9. Today, “The Fourth of July” is celebrated as America’s “Independence Day.”
10. Families like to go on vacation or visit relatives. It is summer, so picnics and backyard barbecue are popular.
11. Favorite foods include hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, potato salad, pork and beans, watermelon and “home-made” ice cream.
12. Sometimes companies or churches also have big “pot-luck” picnics, where everyone brings food to share.
13. Outdoor activities are popular, like swimming, baseball, children’s games, patriotic parades and TV specials, and especially fireworks.
14. You’ll see lots of American flags, and decorations in red, white and blue.

Note to teachers: This holiday summary is © Dr. Harvey Taylor; used here with permission. You can find more of Dr. Taylor’s holiday summaries on my old website. Dr. Taylor is the author of “Special Days – Special Ways: Western Holidays, Customs, Culture.” This teaching resource contains two textbooks and a video tape with 20 programs, produced at the request of the China TV Teacher’s College, and designed to be the cultural component of a 3-year middle school English teachers’ video course. These resources are available in China. Dr. Taylor’s most recent teaching position in China was at Kunming University; he is now retired and living in the western United States (you can reach him by writing to me).

*Footnote: After the Civil War, there was a dramatic shift toward a more powerful central government, and a collective identity. Even the “verb tense” changed; before that war, you could read “The United States are in favor of…” but after the war it became “The United States is in favor of…”.  This collective identity became even stronger as the national government swelled to combat the Great Depression and World War 2.

EFLsuccess.com; ©Michael Krigline and Harvey Taylor, all rights reserved. This resource was created for our students under my understanding of “fair use” for educational resources. As far as I am concerned, people are allowed to print/copy it for personal or classroom use. See our Website Standards and Use Policy.

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