How America celebrates its independence

As celebrations of the US independence day begin to taper down, we look at how it was celebrated this year, alongside a few significant happenings on this day through the years.

The American Independence Day celebrations in Boston were a sight to see as citizens flocked from across the city to catch a glimpse of the "star-spangled banner".

The day also marked US president Joe Biden's bid to have stricter laws to curb gun violence in the country. His pledge comes at a time after a swathe of gun violence swept across the country.

President Bill Clinton, on the other hand, had celebrated Independence Day by releasing a young American Bald Eagle named Freedom. The eagle had been let out into the wild by US Fish and Wildlife Biologist Craig Koppe along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, in 1996.

George Bush Jr., on the other hand, spent his time playing street American football with children in Philadelphia during the 2001 celebrations.

For former president Barack Obama, it was a bit different as he combined two traditional rites, one of paying respect to the Armed Forces and the other of welcoming new citizens into the country. This was done in 2011.

Former president Richard Nixon sought to make one of the most defining amendments to the Constitution, as gave the go-ahead to eighteen-year-olds to vote, marking the beginning of the Universal Adult Franchise. It happened on the day that marked the independence celebrations in 1971.

Although the way that the presidents celebrated may look fairly different, it is the desire for equality and opportunity for all that binds them together. However, more often than not, this desire has a habit of only staying stuck on party manifestoes and a few corporate tax waivers.