Apart from the obvious declaration to remove ourselves from British rule, the following events occurred on July 4th:
- Two giants of early American history, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died on July 4th. In fact, they died within hours of one another on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
- General Ulysses S. Grant took the last remaining Confederate stronghold along the Mississippi River. The fall of Vicksburg along with the victory at Gettysburg marked a turning point in the Civil War in favor of the Union.
- The Military Academy at West Point opened in 1802.
- France offered the Statue of Liberty as a gift to the United States.
Feel free to offer other events that occurred on this date in history.
