Jolly 4th of July Shirts & Fun Facts for Kids

Sarah Dann
Jun 29, 2020
4 min read

Updated: Jun 30, 2020

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With the Fourth of July approaching, I thought this was the perfect time to share this fabulous activity which is super easy and fun for all the family. Whilst painting your shirts, why not share some fun facts for children to learn more about this special day!

22 TOP facts to share with your little ones:

⭐ The Fourth of July is celebrated in the United States of America, and is known as Independence Day.

⭐️ It is called Independence day because it is the day that America broke away from the British rule of King George III.

⭐️ Colonists were very unhappy and wanted to break away because they felt they were being unfairly taxed and they had no say on the rules that affected them.

⭐️ The colonists wrote a document called the Declaration of Independence, which announced that they were no longer going to be part of the British government, and that they were going to create a new nation called United States of America.

⭐️The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was written on July 2nd by; Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston. Although Thomas Jefferson was credited for writing the Declaration of Independence.

⭐️In those times there were 13 colonies; New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

⭐️56 men representing these 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. 8 were from Britain.

⭐️John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence.

⭐️Edward Rutledge was the youngest at 26 years old, and Benjamin Franklin was the oldest at 70 years old. to sign the Declaration of Independence.

⭐️ A new nation was formed on July 4th, 1776 when the document was signed.

⭐️ The American Revolution was between 1775-1783. This was a war between the British and American Patriots.

⭐️ John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were tasked with the job of designing a seal to represent the new country. The bald eagle was Adams and Jefferson's idea. According to Benjamin Franklins notes, he suggested an image of “Moses standing on the shore, and extending his hand over the sea, thereby causing the same to overwhelm pharaoh who is sitting in an open chariot” along with the motto “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”

Benjamin Franklin wrote in a different letter, "For my own part I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country,” The Founding Father believed that the eagle was “a bird of bad moral character” that “does not get his living honestly” because it steals food from the fishing hawk and is “too lazy to fish for himself.”

Franklin called the turkey “a much more respectable bird” and “a true original native of America.” While he considered the eagle “a rank coward,” Franklin believed the turkey to be “a bird of courage” that “would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his farm yard with a red coat on.”

⭐️When the United States became independent the population was around 2.5 million. The population now stands at around 330 million!

⭐️ In 1781, Massachusetts became the first of the states to make 4th July an official state holiday.

⭐️ The Whitehouse celebrated its first 4th of July in 1801.

⭐️ In 1870, congress voted for 4th July to become a federal holiday.

⭐️John Adams actually believed that July 2nd would be celebrated as Independence Day. We know this by, a letter he wrote to his wife "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America..." (Epocha means: a memorable event or date).

⭐️It is also believed that from his letter to his wife, that the reason why we celebrate this special day with fireworks ("Illuminations") and big parades is because John Adams wrote, " It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

⭐️John Adams, 90 and Thomas Jefferson, 83 both died in 1826, on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

⭐️The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia has not been rung since 1846. It is now instead tapped 13 times on every 4th of July in fear that if it was rung, it could crack.

⭐️American Independence is also celebrated in Denmark each year, The festivities begin July 2, but the busiest day is 4th of July.

⭐️The Philippines also celebrate the 4th of July. This is to mark the day they achieved Philippine Independence in 1946.

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Hope you enjoyed those fun facts, and now it is time for an activity that all children love to get involved with year after year!

I'm not going to talk to much, because this is pretty self explanatory :)

What you need for this activity:

White T-Shirt
Non-washable paint such as acrylic or tempura. (Although if you are planning on only wearing this on the day, and not planning on washing it, any paint can be used)
Tape such as Painters or Masking Tape.
Cardboard