Happy 4th of July

July 4th is more than hot dogs, beach parties, baseball games, and fireworks. If asked, could you explain what the 4th of July means? What our flag represents? Why the US is different than other countries? 

The 4th of July is our country’s birthday. Why? On July 4, 1776, our country’s founders decided they no longer wanted to follow Great Britain’s king. At that time in history, Great Britain had one of the world’s strongest armies. Our founders took great risk decided the king’s laws were unfair. But they felt it was worth the risk. In 1783, the new United States won that war. We call that the “Revolutionary War.” 

Why does our flag have 50 stars and 13 stripes? Each part of the American flag has meaning. The 50 stars represent the 50 states. The 13 stripes represent the 13 British colonies which declared their independence on July 4, 1776. The United States flag shows we are connected to each other. We are all on the same team. The American flag is special and deserves to be treated with respect. 

What makes the United States different than some other countries? The United States guarantees its citizens certain rights and freedoms. Every day we exercise these rights: when we pray (or choose not to), when we read a newspaper, even when we decide to meet with friends and talk. The United States allows us to do these things because it guarantees us the freedom to practice religion the way we want, say or write what we want, and go where we want. 

Everyone in America must pitch in for our country to work. As citizens, we all have certain responsibilities. We need to become educated, vote, obey the laws of the land. We need to take care of our country and keep it clean. We need to stay informed about the problems our country faced. Most importantly, we need to do all these things so we can set an example to our future generations.

We are all members of a family: The United States of America.