By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville
July 1, 2025: As I look forward to a very traditional Fourth of July, I thought I would share what I have learned about the genesis of this holiday.
We think of July 4, 1776, as the day that represents the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. But July 4 wasn't the day the Continental Congress decided to declare independence. They actually did that on July 2, 1776.
At the time, "taxation without representation" was the battle cry in all 13 colonies, as a result of being forced to pay taxes to England's King George III despite having no representation in the British Parliament. As dissatisfaction grew, British troops were sent in to quell the early movement toward rebellion, but repeated attempts by the colonists to resolve the crisis without military conflict proved fruitless.
The conflict between the colonies and England was already a year old when representatives from the colonies convened a Continental Congress in Philadelphia in the summer of '76. In a June 7 session in the Pennsylvania State House (later to be renamed Independence Hall), Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution with the famous words, "Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be totally dissolved."
Lee's words were the impetus for the drafting of a formal Declaration of Independence and a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies' case for independence. Committee members were John Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who actually wrote the draft.
On July 2, Lee's Resolution for Independence was adopted and discussion of Jefferson's more expanded document resulted in 86 editing changes, culminating in a vote on the revisions on the afternoon of July 4.
However, contrary to popular belief, the decision was not unanimous. Of the 13 colonies, nine voted in favor, Pennsylvania and South Carolina voted no, Delaware was undecided, and New York abstained. It is said John Hancock signed with such a flourish so that King George could read without his spectacles!!
On July 3, in great foretelling, John Adams had written to his beloved Abigail that, if passed, the Declaration of Independence would be celebrated as "the" great anniversary, with "pomp and parade, shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations . . . from this time forward forever more."
However, it did take a fair bit of time before Adams's prophecy rang true.
For the first 15 years or so following the declaration, too much else was happening in our young nation to stop and celebrate. Then the 1790s ushered in a period of very partisan politics, with the Federalists thinking the document was too French and too anti-British.
After the Federalist party began to unravel, the parties of the 1820s and '30s all considered themselves proud inheritors of the Jefferson document. Sadly, the deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on the same Fourth of July 1826 helped to promote July 4 as an important date to be remembered.
Celebrations became more common as the years passed, especially after the end of the War of 1812 with Britain, and in 1870, almost 100 years after its signing, July 4 was declared a national holiday. Only in 1938 did Congress reaffirm it as a paid holiday.
The night before the fourth was once the focal point of celebration, especially in New England. Towns competed to build towering bonfire pyramids, the highest ever in Salem, Massachusetts, on Gallows Hill, scene of the famous executions for witchcraft.
Celebrations vary greatly in size and scope throughout the country from 10k races in Atlanta to a Freedom Festival in Detroit to our own Macy's fireworks display, televised since 1976. In 2009, New York City had the largest fireworks display to date, exploding over 22 tons of pyrotechnics, and this year marked the 42nd year of the hotdog eating contest at Nathan’s Famous of Coney Island.
The meaning of the holiday, as is no surprise, was articulated best by Thomas Jefferson on his death bed in a letter declining an invitation to journey to Washington, D.C., to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. "May it be to the world, what I believe it will be . . . the signal of arousing men to burst the chains . . . and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. . . . For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them."
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Link to Village of Bronxville One Square Mile Monthly Newsletter
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
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Bronxville Fire Deparment
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