Sick of the sight of the star spangled banner today? Nottingham student and US native Sean Endicott explains why the date means so much to American citizens – and how arguably the Fourth of July is an echo from history reflecting current sentiment surrounding the EU Referendum debate.
“If you have any American pals or are on social media today you’ll probably have seen some posts about the Fourth of July.
It’s one of America’s most patriotic holidays but it understandably isn’t a big deal for many in the UK. You may be wondering why your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are full of American flags and fireworks for the day so here’s a brief run-down.
It commemorates the day that the United States declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1776. There’s even a hip hop musical titled “Hamilton” that goes over this period of American history that’s showing in London. In short, the events that the Fourth of July celebrate were a major point in the revolutionary war which led to the United States’ independence. That’s why it’s also called Independence Day.
It’s also a day many Americans reflect on the liberties that are considered common now but required fighting to obtain. It’s also a fun day in the middle of summer that gives them a chance to relax and party.
For fun we asked folks around Nottingham questions about the date. Most people knew about the holiday, or at least that food was a big part of it.
Most people in the US get the day off from work to celebrate. Like just about any American holiday, we celebrate it with food. Hot dogs and burgers sizzle on the grill while watermelons make a mess of people’s shirts. It’s a great excuse to head to the beach or have a pool party and have a great time. After a day of fun most people find a nice fireworks show.
Across the country thousands of fireworks light up the night sky and send thunderous crashes from coast to coast. These are often accompanied by American-themed playlists, and almost always include the US National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner”.
That song tells the narrative of seeing the American flag still standing after a night of explosions during the War of 1812. One line states “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;” so fireworks fit with it quite nicely.
While the date was selected because of the Declaration of Independence, in function it’s more of a day to celebrate being proud to be American. It’s like a birthday celebration for the nation. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t some cheeky banter between the US and UK though.
My friends playfully post things like “happy treason day” while my American friends and I post over the top memes with bald eagles and freedom. Because the US and UK have been allies for so long most of the talk on the Fourth of July is just banter.
That being said, when my fiancé, who is English, was in the US for two Fourth of Julys in a row, the trash talk got a bit old. As she so aptly put it “that was hundreds of years ago, no-one in the UK cares anymore. We’ve been allies for a long time”.
Since the day is an American holiday it isn’t officially celebrated here but there are plenty of people in the Nottingham area that are from the United States and do celebrate it.
We spoke with Annie’s Burger Shack in the Lace Market about how they celebrated it for the 6:30 show so watch on Freeview channel 7, Virgin 159 and Sky 117 to find out how they have been spending the day.
