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.
Thursday, July 4
10–11 a.m.
Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony
Constitution Avenue steps and on 
and Facebook Live
- Greetings: Allison Seymour, Fox 5 News Anchor
- Presentation of colors by the 3rd U.S. Infantry Continental Color Guard
- National Anthem sung by Crystal Mosser
- Performance by the 3rd U.S. Infantry "The Old Guard" Fife and Drum Corps
- Remarks: David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
- Keynote speech: Cokie Roberts, journalist and author
- Dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by costumed interpreters portraying historical characters Abigail Adams, John Adams, John Dunlap, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Ned Hector, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington
- "America the Beautiful" sung by Caleb Green
July 4th at the National Archives is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation with the generous support of John Hancock, Dykema, and Hearst Foundations.
Celebrate July 4th at the Presidential Libraries
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, West Branch, IA
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
July 4 at 9 a.m.–5 p.m: The library will host a variety of activities, including coloring tables and a special screening of "Sgt Stubby: An American Hero" at 2 p.m. Come and get a patriotic cookie while supplies last! Free admission to museum.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene, KS
July 4 at 10 a.m.: The library will show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum, Grand Rapids, MI
July 4 at 10 a.m.: The library will show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Simi Valley, CA
July 4, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.: The Reagan Library is hosting a day full of family-fun activities. This year’s celebration includes patriotic concerts by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Band, family entertainment, games, crafts, and more. Activities include face painting, carnival and picnic games such as sack races and water balloon tosses, and more. Come meet and have your photo taken with Betsy Ross and Presidential lookalikes and join in the fun for Presidential bingo. All outdoor activities are free; admission rates apply to view the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum, Air Force One Pavilion, and our temporary exhibit, The World of da Vinci. Reservations are not required for this event. For more information, call 805-522-2977.
George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, College Station, TX
July 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.: "I Love America!" Fourth of July Celebration. Come early and bring lawn chairs, picnic baskets and blankets. Please, no pets or glass containers. The library will also show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony at 10 a.m. Free parking.
George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Dallas, TX
July 4 at 10 a.m.: The library will show a live broadcast of the Washington, DC, Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony.
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.