The Fourth of July in the 1800s

Americans began marking the Fourth of July in 1776, of course, and celebrations continued and grew larger throughout the 1800s.

• In 1801 the US Marine Band performed at the first July 4th celebration at the White House (then known as the Executive Mansion or The President's House). The host was President Thomas Jefferson.

• The first July 4th celebration held west of the Mississippi was probably in 1804, when Lewis and Clark and the men of the Corps of Discovery celebrated on their epic journey to the Pacific.

• Noteworthy events were often scheduled to occur on the Fourth of July, such as the groundbreaking for the Erie Canal, in 1817.

• On July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was declared the "Jubliee of Freedom" and celebrations took place across America. Two men inextricably linked to the Declaration of Independence, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died on that day, at their homes in Massachusetts and Virginia.

• In 1852 the former slave and leading abolitionist Frederick Douglass delivered a July 4th address that has become known as one of the great orations of the 19th century. In his speech, Douglass spoke of his identification with the founders of the nation, yet expressed how, as an African America, he could not fully identify with the American concept of liberty.

• On the Fourth of July in 1863, two huge armies in Pennsylvania sat stunned after the colossal three-day Battle of Gettysburg. Letters written by soldiers described the horrific scenes on July 4, as Federal and Confederate troops struggled to bury the dead and tend to the wounded.

• In the summer of 1876, the nation celebrated its centennial with a large fair in Philadelphia, The Centennial Exposition. The Fourth of July was marked with parades and celebrations. Two days later, the mood was dampened as news reached Philadelphia of Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn.

• The Statue of Liberty was formally presented to the United States by the citizens of France on July 4, 1884. The statue, which had been built in France, was then shipped to New York City and assembled on the stone platform built for it.

Image: Detail from "The Fourth of July in the Country", Harper's Weekly July 6, 1867, courtesy of New York Public Library Digital Collections.