How U.S. Presidents Celebrated the Fourth of July Through the Years

Happy Fourth of July! The holiday, which celebrates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, has been an official federal holiday since 1870. But United States presidents have been celebrating July 4 since the early 1800s.

According to the White House Historical Association, in 1801, “President Thomas Jefferson who first established the traditions of a Fourth of July celebration at the White House. President Jefferson opened the house and greeted the people along with diplomats, civil and military officers, and Cherokee chiefs. Since that time, the festivities have evolved to include parades, fireworks, and live music. The Executive Mansion is an enduring symbol of the American dream and continues to play an important role in Independence Day celebrations.”

Recent U.S. Presidents—President Obama, President Trump, and current President Biden—have marked the holiday at the White House, typically with an event celebrating military families and government employees. Here, see photos of U.S. presidents celebrating Independence Day through the years:

1914

President Woodrow Wilson gave a speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia to mark the Fourth of July.

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1927

President Calvin Coolidge and First Lady Grace Coolidge pose outdoors at a party celebrating the 4th of July and his 55th birthday at the State Game Lodge and Resort in Custer State Park, South Dakota. The original caption notes that “Coolidge is wearing a cowboy outfit, which includes a pair of personalized chaps.” The chaps read “CAL,” which is incredible.

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1937

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt smokes a cigarette and sits in the driver’s seat of a convertible car on July 4 at his family’s estate in Hyde Park.

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1947

On July 4, 1947, President Harry S. Truman made an Independence Day address from the West Portico of the Thomas Jefferson home in Monticello. He’s pictured here waving his cane as he leaves the White House for Virginia.

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1962

President John F. Kennedy thanks a young girl who gave him a bouquet of flowers at a Fourth of July celebration in Mexico City on June 30.

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1976

President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford pose on the White House balcony as fireworks light up the D.C. sky celebrating the U.S. bicentennial.

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1980

President Jimmy Carter speaks during an Independence Day town hall meeting held at Merced Community College in Merced, California.

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1982

President Ronald Reagan spent July 4, 1982 attending the Columbia shuttle landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

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1984

Reagan spent the Fourth of July in 1984 at the Firecracker 400 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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1986

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan at the Statue of Liberty’s centennial celebration on July 4, 1986 in New York City.

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1989

President George H.W. Bush spent the Fourth of July weekend in 1989 playing golf in Maine.

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He also went fishing.

Diana Walker – Getty Images

1996

President Bill Clinton looked on as a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist prepares to release a 3-year-old Bald Eagle to the wild, at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland.

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2001

On his first Fourth of July as president, President George W. Bush gave a speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

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2002

President George W. Bush joined in Independence Day celebrations in this rural West Virginia. He’s pictured here with a local resident.

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2005

He soon made West Virginia a July 4th tradition; he spoke at an Independence Day Celebration in Morgantown, West Virginia in 2005, marking the third time in four years that Bush traveled to West Virginia to celebrate the Fourth of July.

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2009

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted an event to celebrate Independence Day and to honor military heroes and their families on the South Lawn.

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Later that same year, the Obamas watched the fireworks over the National Mall from the White House.

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2010

The Obamas hosted a BBQ for military members and their families, and government employees and families on the South Lawn, a tradition which continued during Obama’s tenure as president.

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2012

President Obama holds a baby at the annual Fourth of July picnic/BBQ on the South Lawn.

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2014

In addition to the barbecue, President Barack Obama often presided over a naturalization ceremony on July 4. Here, he takes place in one for active duty service members and civilians in the East Room of the White House.

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2017

President Donald Trump continued tradition of hosting a picnic for military families at the White House in 2017 and 2018. Here, he speaks at the event next to First Lady Melania Trump.

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2019

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the “Salute to America” Fourth of July event at the Lincoln Memorial.

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2021

President Joe Biden poses with the Washington Nationals president mascots during Independence Day celebrations on the South Lawn.

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2021

President Joe Biden, granddaughter Finnegan Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, granddaughter Naomi Biden, and daughter Ashley Biden pose for a selfie as they watch the fireworks display during a Fourth of July BBQ event at the White House.

Alex Wong – Getty Images

2022

A year later, the Bidens were again joined by their family to watch the fireworks.

The Washington Post – Getty Images

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