Celebrate the 4th of July!

Parades, picnics, and fireworks! Catching a few fireflies in a jar and eventually letting them go. That's what I remember about celebrating the 4th in the small Midwestern farm town where I grew up. Find out more about the historical significance of our celebration of the 4th by taking a tour of these great online resources:

A Capitol Fourth - America's Independence Day Celebration from PBS is worth some exploration. Learn about the history, test your knowledge,and more. Have fun in the Fireworks and Fun section where you can find suggestions for how to take better fireworks photos and create a little fireworks animation with music. The Library of Congress offers us both Today in History: July 4th and the history of patriotic songs, lyrics, audio recordings, and links to more information about each of 27 songs at Patriotic Melodies.

To study and learn more about The Declaration of Independence, visit the Our Documents website The Declaration of Independence and NARA's website The Charters of Freedom: A New World is at Hand. To read more information on the signers, a history of the document, a timeline, and more, go to the US History.org site The Declaration.

For an important historical perspective by one of our country's most influential thinkers, read through a hard-hitting speech given by Frederick Douglass in 1852 called "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?".

The Read Write Think website offers the Myth or Truth: Independence Day Lesson Plan for Grades 3-5, and their Calendar Activity Page for all grades called "It’s Independence Day! Or is it?"

For a visual treat, see a terrific collection of old 4th of July postcards from an American University website.