Washington
04 July 2008
Americans are celebrating Independence Day Friday, the 232rd anniversary of the declaration of independence from Britain. As VOA's Kent Klein reports from Washington, that celebration is taking the form of parades, picnics, fireworks, and one very special day for 72 new Americans.
U.S. President George Bush welcomed 72 new American citizens in a ceremony at Monticello, the Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence.
Each year, Americans from coast to coast celebrate the holiday just as Adams had intended, with picnics, festivals, concerts, fireworks displays and parades.
Here in Washington, an Independence Day parade drew thousands of people from across the country.
And Independence Day has a special meaning to each one.
WOMAN1: "Just living in a free country, and enjoying all the freedoms that we have."
WOMAN2: "It means freedom, and an appreciation of."
WOMAN3: "Food and beer."
MAN1: "Independence, freedom, American Way. Life as an American."
MAN2: "I love America. It's patriotic, everything about it."
MAN3: "Well, the Fourth means years and years of struggle for freedom. Over the years, we sometimes seem to take that for granted, but I am a former military guy, so (it is) something I do not take for granted, and we should never forget what we have come through in the struggles."
MAN4: "The chance to be free in a country that promotes freedom all across the world, and I am proud to be an American."
More than 1,200 U.S. troops serving in Iraq marked Independence Day by re-enlisting.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took part in a parade in the Northwestern state of Montana, and Republican candidate John McCain celebrated the holiday in his home state of Arizona.