Introduction
Thesis Statement
Every nation and every culture has its own belief and values, customs, and traditions. Among the traditions that characterize the United States culture and distinguish it from all other cultures of the world is the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July every year.
Attention Grabber
Being a market of the United States culture, this tradition attracts worldwide attention and results in nationwide celebrations and formal events taking place. As well, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July has considerable cultural significance for America and Americans.
Negative Definition
Example 1
Defining the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July in the United States of America is not an easy task, and negative definitions can be of help with it. Thus, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July is not a religious tradition. The United States of America has several religious holidays and traditions including Christmas and Thanksgiving Day, but the 4th of July has no relation to these holidays; neither is it related to the religion as such.
Example 2
Further on, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July is not sports-related, meaning that this tradition is not of the same kind as the traditions to celebrate the victory of a city’s favorite basketball team in the NBA championship or the hockey team in the NHL competition. In the United States sports has a considerable influence upon the culture, but the 4th of July has no direct relation to sports.
Example 3
Finally, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July every year has nothing to do with popular culture and either MTV- or Hollywood-created events like Oscar awards, MTV Music Awards, or First-night shows of the latest movies. The United States of America is the country that has the international image of the most developed country about popular culture, music, and cinematography, but the 4th of July does not add to this image of the USA.
Cultural Significance of the Term
Background
The huge significance of the tradition to annually celebrate the 4th of July in the United States can be explained by the background of this tradition. It originates from 1776, when on July 4th the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America (US Government, 2009). The date has been since considered the birthday of the USA as a country and the milestone date that celebrated the victory of democratic principles over the oppression of colonial rule (US Government, 2009). Therefore, celebrating this date every year, American citizens correlate their ideas with the idea of independence and try to realize that without such a step as signing the Declaration of Independence, their free and prosperous lives could be endangered.
Personal Correlation
Personally for the author of this paper, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July every year also has considerable importance. As a citizen of the United States, the author identifies with the main values of the country that are democracy and the personal freedoms of every human being. Drawing from this, the author of this paper realizes that the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July has a rich background and derives from the most important event in the country’s history, i. e. signing the Declaration of Independence and manifestation, although only formal at that period (US Government, 2009), of the emergence of the new country in the world. As well, understanding the importance of the date for US history, the author of this paper admits that it is necessary to celebrate the 4th of July to preserve the national memory and educate younger generations in respect of their country’s history.
Own Definition
Definition
Drawing from the above discussion, the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July can be defined as the celebration of liberty and democracy that, at the same time, serves educational and patriotic purposes, and also has cultural significance reflected in the fact that this tradition is one of the phenomena that distinguish American culture from other cultures of the world.
Own Connection
Therefore, it is obvious that the tradition discussed above has a connection to the whole nation as well as to every particular person. The author of this paper sees the major connecting point of the July 4th celebration between the cultural significance and the political importance of the date in the fact that the Declaration of Independence put the beginning for the country that currently serves as the favorable environment for the rightful development of numerous other cultures that are often mistakenly referred to as minorities.
Conclusion
Connect Own Definition with Cultural Significance
Thus, concluding this essay it is necessary to state that the tradition to celebrate the 4th of July has both personal significance for every American and the overall cultural significance. The point that connects both is the importance of the historical event that served as a reason to celebrate this date, i. e. signing of the Declaration of Independence.
WOW Statement
Drawing from the above discussion, the celebration of the US Independence Day on July 4th is the most politically, socially, and culturally important tradition observed in the American culture.
Works Cited
US Government. Fourth of July is Independence Day. USGOV, 2009. Web.