July 4th Celebration
#ArchivesJuly4—Celebrate With Us
People all over the country share the celebration on social media using the hashtag #ArchivesJuly4.
Celebrate Independence Day and the days leading up to it at the National Archives Building on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets NW.
Saturday, June 30
Sunday, July 1
Monday, July 2
Tuesday, July 3
Wednesday, July 4
10–11 a.m.
Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony
Constitution Avenue steps and on 
and Facebook Live
- Greetings from Allison Seymour, Fox 5 News Anchor
- Presentation of colors by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Continental Color Guard
- Singing of the National Anthem
- Performance by the 3rd U.S. Infantry "The Old Guard" Fife and Drum Corps
- Remarks by David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
- Dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by special guests including Abigail Adams, John Adams, John Dunlap, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Ned Hector, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington
- Singing of "America the Beautiful"
July 4th at the National Archives is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation with the generous support of John Hancock, Dykema, WMATA, and Boies Schiller Flexner.
Celebrate July 4th at the Presidential Libraries
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, West Branch, IA
On Wednesday, July 4 at 2 p.m., the Eastern Iowa Brass Band will perform a free concert in the Village Green. A reading of the Declaration of Independence will precede the band performance. The Village Green in West Branch is on the corner of Parkside Drive and Main Street.
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, Independence, MO
The library will broadcast the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony
in the lobby.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
The library campus will be open from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading at 10 a.m. (CT) in the Visitors Center Auditorium. Active duty military receive free admission.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA
The museum will be open 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and free admission will be extended to all members of the active military.
The library will show a livestream of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater (10 a.m.).
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, Austin, TX
The museum will be open 9 a.m.–5 p.m., with free museum admission to celebrate the Fourth of July. Participates in the Blue Star Museums program offering free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel, including National Guard and Reserve, and their families through Labor Day 2018.
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Yorba Linda, CA
Sunday, July 1, at noon: 4th of July concert by Huntington Beach Band, Tom Ridley, conductor.
July 4
All day: Meet and take photos with American History Heroes George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Richard Henry Lee, and Abigail Adams.
10:45 a.m.: Opening Ceremony - Experience a historical portrayal of the “Shot Heard Round the World,” the first shot of the American Revolution.
11:45 a.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:15 p.m.: Authentic musket firing demonstrations
Noon: The renowned 90-member Placentia Symphonic Band will play their classic set list of All-American favorites in the magnificent White House East Room.
1:30 p.m.: The Declaration of Independence, hosted by Benjamin Franklin
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
The library will show a livestream of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater (10 a.m.).
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA
The library will celebrate with a naturalization ceremony as 48 petitioners from 32 countries become American citizens. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at 10 a.m. in the Carter Presidential Museum Theater.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA
To celebrate our nation’s 242nd birthday, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is hosting a day full of family-fun activities. This year’s celebration includes patriotic concerts, family entertainment, games, crafts, and more. All outdoor activities are free; admission rates apply to view the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum, Air Force One Pavilion, and our blockbuster special exhibit, “Genghis Khan: The Exhibition.” Reservations are not required for this event. For more information, call 805-522-2977.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
The George Bush Library is honored to host the College Station Noon Lions Clubs “I Love America” Fourth of July Celebration. The museum will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. with free admission all day. Concessions start at 5:30 p.m. and include free watermelon while supplies last. Live entertainment and the Kids Zone will open at 6 p.m. The Kids Zone includes games and bounce houses, face painting, and Paw Paw’s Train Rides. The evening will culminate with an 8:45 p.m. concert by the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra and a 9:30 p.m. spectacular fireworks display. Register online.
The library will show a livestream of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater (9 a.m.).
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, Little Rock, AR
The museum will be open 9 a.m.–5 p.m., with free museum admission to celebrate the Fourth of July.
The library will show a livestream of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony in the theater (9 a.m.).
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Dallas, TX
Participates in the Blue Star Museums program offering free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel, including National Guard and Reserve, and their families through Labor Day 2018.
If you can't come in person to Washington, DC, join our celebration through and on the US National Archives Facebook page. Or celebrate at one of our Presidential libraries around the nation.
Prologue Articles
“Travels of the Charters of Freedom”
The Declaration of Independence and the Hand of Time
Finding the Stones: National Archives Discovers Several Engravings of the Declaration
The Stone Engraving: Icon of the Declaration
A New Era Begins for the Charters of Freedom
The Faulkner Murals: Depicting the Creation of a Nation
Blogs
Annotation: Three Huzzas from the Troops
Education Updates: The Declaration of Independence
Pieces of History: Dunlap's Declaration of Independence
Pieces of History: Masterpieces of Freedom: The Faulkner Murals
Pieces of History: New Online Exhibit: “Carting the Charters”
Pieces of History: Making it Official: The Day the Declaration of Independence Was Signed
Pieces of History: Annual Birthday Party for the Declaration of Independence
Pieces of History: John Adams’s vision of July 4 was July 2
Pieces of History: The Last Hands to Touch the Declaration of Independence
Google Cultural Institute
"Carting the Charters": Fnd out how the Charters of Freedom—The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—came to rest in the National Archives.
Founders Online
Founders Online lets you to read and search through thousands of documents written by George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
July 4th at the National Archives is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation with the generous support of John Hancock, Dykema, WMATA, and Boies Schiller Flexner.