244th Independence Day of USA | 06 Jul 2020

Why in News

The USA celebrated the 244^th anniversary of American Independence Day on 4^th July 2020.

• Indian Prime Minister also congratulated the USA on the same occasion.

Key Points

• Background:
  
  • Throughout the 1760s and early 1770s, the American colonies found themselves increasingly at odds with British imperial policies regarding taxation and frontier policy.
  • When repeated protests failed to influence British policies the Continental Congress worked with local groups, originally intended to enforce the boycott, to coordinate resistance against the British.
  • British officials throughout the colonies increasingly found their authority challenged by informal local governments, although loyalist sentiment remained strong in some areas.
  • Finally, the United States was founded on an ideal of democracy on the 4^th July 1776 by adopting the Declaration of Independence from the 13 colonies.
• Declaration of Independence :
  
  • The Declaration of Independence was a one-page document, but it laid the foundation for other documents that followed, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
  • It contains three main ideas:
    
    • All men are created equal.
    • All men have certain inalienable rights, which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
    • People have a civic duty to defend these rights for themselves and for others.

Source:TH