What Do Fireworks Bring to July 4th Celebration?

First thing, we must deal with a little bit of history of fireworks. It has been said that the origin of the use of fireworks for celebrations came from China around 7th Century to welcome the new year, coupled with belief in superstition to ward of bad spirits and bring good luck to all celebrants.

But the Europeans in the 15th century, particularly the English Royal families, were recorded as using fireworks for public entertainment at festivals. Thereby, the early American settlers brought fireworks to the New World and used the displays when they won their independence from the Great Britain.

Here in the USA, the first celebration with fireworks came in on July 4, 1777, in Philadelphia, as a demonstration of “joy and festivities,” the first organized celebration of Independence Day. Ship’s cannon fired a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies. The early fireworks that honored American independence were still orange in color, and that continued until the 1830s when modern fireworks were developed.

From thereon till the modern times, fireworks have been used throughout history to celebrate important people, events, and occasions from birthdays to weddings, from religious ceremonies to national holidays, to represent joy and happiness on a global scale. These days, it calls for backyard barbecues and booming night sky to complete the feeling of freedom and enjoyment from vacations and get-togethers with friends and families.

Fireworks is a tradition that continues every 4th of July when we celebrate as Founding Father John Adams had hoped “with pomp, parade…. bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.” The celebration took place in the midst of the Revolutionary War, together with explosions, artillery fire, and “bombs bursting in air.”

Sadly, Illinois, the state where we live, bans fireworks (one of three states), for the Independence Day celebration, while the other 47 states celebrate freedom with the flair of a flare. If used carelessly, fireworks can lead to serious injury. But laws should be made to penalize those who act irresponsibly, not to remove freedoms from responsible citizens – and especially not on Independence Day.

-By Anonymous Editorialist