Happy Independence Day to all our American members and friends. Celebrations will take place across the country today, from fireworks over the capital, to barbecues in back yards. Cities and towns the length and breadth of the country will mark the occasion with parades, concerts, festivals and fairs.
Marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776, 241 years ago, Independence Day has grown into the focal point for American patriotism, becoming a unpaid holiday for federal employees in 1870 and a paid national holiday in 1938. Today, many Americans use the long weekend as an opportunity to spend time with family, making it one of the busiest times of year the transport network, as people criss-cross the nations returning to their loved ones.
Happy #IndependenceDay! ??????? pic.twitter.com/luZr6UJHED
— U.S. Embassy London (@USAinUK) July 4, 2017
Membership in the US is one of the fastest growing areas for The Royal Over-Seas League, thanks in part to the previous restrictions on membership for citizens of non-Commonwealth countries. December 2016 saw the first get-together for US members with lunch at the prestigious Army Navy Country Club in Washington, DC.
