U.S. Independence Day is observed each year on July 4. The date commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when the Second Continental Congress formally approved the document in Philadelphia.
A common mix-up is July 2. Congress voted for independence by approving the Lee Resolution on July 2, 1776, but adopted the Declaration explaining that decision two days later. Because the Declaration became the widely publicized symbol of the break with Britain, July 4 became the traditional anniversary.
The date has been celebrated since the Revolutionary era with public dinners, speeches, parades, music, cannon salutes, and fireworks. It became a federal holiday in 1870 and a paid federal holiday in 1938.
When July 4 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, federal employees generally observe the holiday on the adjacent Friday or Monday. The legal holiday itself, however, remains July 4.