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How old is usa in 2023?
Most historians emphasize the year 1776. It was the year that the soon-to-be United States of America declared its independence from British imperialism. This means that the United States will turn 247 years old on July 4, 2023.
How old is the USA today?
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What happened 100 years ago today in America?
One hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson’s request to Congress for a declaration of war against imperial Germany was approved by the Senate. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley spoke at a commemoration ceremony at the Pentagon today about the importance of the war and its impact.
- It’s appropriate on the 100th anniversary of the United States’ commitment into World War I for us to reflect.
- Are we better at decision making today? Are there similarities in the structure or rising powers? Are there similarities and interconnectedness where nobody can fathom or imagine or believe conflicts of this size and scope and levels of violence could ever happen?” Milley said.
“Are we that much smarter than those who came before us 100 years ago today?” According to Charles R. Bowery Jr., executive director of the U.S. Army Center of Military History, 4.8 million Americans served in uniform during the war, and 4 million of them were in the Army.
“We need to take time and reflect,” Milley said. “We owe it to those 5 million Americans who wore the uniform of our nation. We owe it to the 99 divisions that were mobilized in World War I. We owe it to the almost 117,000 soldiers killed in action in the fields of Europe. We owe it to every one of them.
Even though none of them are alive today, we owe it to all of them to clearly and unambiguously understand what World War I was about, how it started and vow upon their graves that we never let it happen again.” Setting the Stage Milley said World War I was a national war that mobilized the entire nation.
- It takes the entire commitment of the entire nation to fight a war, requiring the effort and the sacrifice of all government leaders throughout the nation, by business executives and innovators, teachers, builders and bankers,” he added.
- It was felt beyond the continent of Europe.
- It was called a world war for a reason.
It affected all of our families throughout the world. I have two grand uncles who served with the Canadian army. There are many in this room whose grand something served in World War I. We are obligated to remember their service and sacrifice and all those who came before us.” He said the United States had 375,000 casualties, many from the flu in the camps.
- Milley also stressed that any historian would tell you World War I was a “global blood shedding that cost 38 million lives”.
- It destroyed the British, French, German, Russian, Hungarian and Ottoman empires, he added, and it set the conditions for the global Great Depression.
- It also gave rise for the Russian revolution and the brutality of Soviet communism, which Milley noted only ended in 1991.
The war also set the course for Nazism and militarism in Japan and the course for World War II, he said. Between World War I and World War II, 100 million to 200 million people were killed in warfare. “The first half of the century was incredibly bloody.
- Soldiers and civilians were butchered and murdered in all corners of the globe.
- We should never, ever forget that,” Milley said.
- It changed the very character of the world, and it changed it forever.
- It was brutally violent in scope and scale, and we still see the impacts today.” Milley said the lines between Iraq and Syria, along with lines throughout most of the countries in the Middle East and many of the borders in Europe, were drawn as part of the Versailles Peace Treaty after World War I.
How the War Began Milley said skirmishes such as the Crimean War and conflict in the Balkans took place, but those were local, limited conflicts. The world had experienced 100 years of relative peace since the Napoleonic Wars of 1815, and was enjoying industrial progress such as communications and transportation.
- Underneath the quality-of-life improvements such as the automobile and showers, was structural tension and ethnic tension, especially in the Balkans with Austria, the Hungarians and the Serbians.
- Terrorist attacks occurred throughout Europe before World War I.
- In one attack, 70 senior officials were murdered by the Black Hand, a Serbian terrorist group.
But the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on June 28, 1914, set off a chain reaction, and armies were mobilized. Most believed it would be a short war, but it wasn’t. All of the leaders were cousins; they were all nieces and nephews of Britain’s Queen Victoria.
Why is July 4th?
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. The Constitution provides the legal and governmental framework for the United States. However, the Declaration, with its eloquent assertion “all Men are created equal,” is equally beloved by the American people. July 4th fireworks, Washington, D.C. Carol M Highsmith, photographer, July 4, 2008. Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive, Prints & Photographs Division Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of American independence with a spontaneous celebration, which is described in a letter by John Adams to his daughter, Abigail, Unanimous Declaration of Independence, Passed in the United States Congress 1823. Printed Ephemera: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera, Rare Book & Special Collections Division In 1859, the Banneker Institute of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, urged African Americans to celebrate Independence Day while bearing witness to the inconsistencies between the ideals espoused in the Declaration of Independence and the practice of slavery.
Chairman of the meeting, Mr. Jacob C. White Jr., also promised his audience a brighter future: We have learned by experience and by the comparison of ourselves with people similarly situated, to hope that, at some day not very far in futurity, our grievances will be redressed, that our long lost rights will be restored to us, and that, in the full stature of men, we will stand up, and with our once cruel opponents and oppressors rejoice in the Declaration of our common country, and hail with them the approach of the glorious natal day of the Great Republic.
Mr. Jacob C. White Jr., Introductory Remarks, In The Celebration of the Eighty-Third Anniversary of the Declaration of American Independence by the Banneker InstituteJuly 4, 1859, Philadelphia: W.S. Young, 1859.p.8 African American Perspectives: Materials Selected from the Rare Book Collection, The Flag That Has Waved One Hundred Years–a Scene on the Morning of the Fourth Day of July, 1876, Dominque C. Fabronius, artist. c1876. Popular Graphic Arts, Prints & Photographs Division By the 1870s, the Fourth of July was the most important secular holiday on the calendar.
- Congress passed a law making Independence Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1870.
- Even far-flung communities on the western frontier managed to congregate on Independence Day.
- In an American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940 interview, Miss Nettie Spencer remembered the Fourth as the “big event of the year.
Everyone in the countryside got together on that day for the only time in the year.” She continued: There would be floats in the morning and the one that got the eye was the Goddess of Liberty. She was supposed to be the most wholesome and prettiest girl in the countryside — if she wasn’t she had friends who thought she was.
- But the rest of us weren’t always in agreement on thatFollowing the float would be the Oregon Agricultural College cadets, and some kind of a band.
- Sometimes there would be political effigies.
- Just before lunch – and we’d always hold lunch up for an hour – some Senator or lawyer would speak.
- These speeches always had one pattern.
First the speaker would challenge England to a fight and berate the King and say that he was a skunk. This was known as twisting the lion’s tail. Then the next theme was that any one could find freedom and liberty on our shores. The speaker would invite those who were heavy laden in other lands to come to us and find peace.
The speeches were pretty fiery and by that time the men who drank got into fights and called each other Englishmen. In the afternoon we had what we called the ‘plug uglies’ — funny floats and clowns who took off on the political subjects of the dayThe Fourth was the day of the year that really counted then.
Christmas wasn’t much; a Church tree or something, but no one twisted the lion’s tail. “Rural Life in the 1870s”, Miss Nettie Spencer, interviewee; Walker Winslow, interviewer; Portland, Oregon, December 15, 1938. American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940, July 4th Parade,, July 4, 1915. Carpenter Collection, Prints & Photographs Division. Boy on Float in Fourth of July Parade. Vale, Oregon, Russell Lee, photographer, July 1941. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black and White Negatives, Prints & Photographs Division French Ward for Bone Cases in American Red Cross Hospital at Evreuxpicture shows decorations in honor of the 4th of July, August 1918. American National Red Cross Photograph Collection. Prints & Photographs Division Down South the celebration was much the same.
Ninety-six-year-old Dr. Samuel B. Lathan recalled the Independence Day celebrations of his South Carolina childhood: The Fourth of July was observed at Caldwell Cross Roads. The military companies of infantry would assembly here from the surrounding counties making up a brigade. A drill and inspection were had, and a dress parade followed.
There was an old cannon mounted on the field. The honor of firing it was assigned to Hugh Reed, who had been in the artillery of Napoleon’s army at Waterloo and afterward emigrated to South Carolina. A great barbecue and picnic dinner would be served; candidates for military, state, and national offices would speak; hard liquor would flow; and each section would present its ‘bully of the woods’ in a contest for champion in a fist and skull fight. 4th of July Celebration, St. Helena Island, S.C., Marion Post Wolcott, photographer, July 1939. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Color Photographs, Prints & Photographs Division Fourth of July, or American Independence Day, Fireworks Light Up the Sky Over Denver, Colorado’s Downtown Civic Center, Carol M. Highsmith, photographer, July 3, 2016. Highsmith (Carol M.) Archive, Prints & Photographs Division Use the online resources of the Library of Congress to learn more about Independence Day and the Declaration of Independence.
How many years is America after independence?
244 years of celebrating – While John Adams was two days off, he was correct when he said Independence Day would be marked with fireworks and celebrations annually. Several days after the first Independence Day, public readings were held in Philadelphia’s Independence Square to the sound of church bells and music.
The following year at the Independence Day celebration, Congress adjourned in Philadelphia and marked the occasion with fireworks, bells, and music, just like those public readings in 1776.At first, the tradition was mostly recognized in Philadelphia, but soon other towns and cities took up celebrating the holiday.
On September 3, 1783, the Revolutionary War ended and America became its own country when the Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of King George III. In 1870, Congress officially passed a law making Independence Day a national holiday. At that time, Americans were spread across the continent, but even pioneers on the western frontier managed to gather together to celebrate the new federal holiday. “The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.” Today, Americans mark the patriotic holiday by with red, white, and blue decorations, watching parades, and celebrating the freedoms afforded us so many years ago.
- Fireworks are still a huge part of the occasion, with 33% of people plan on marking the day with beautiful pyrotechnics.
- This year, while you celebrate with family and friends, be sure to take a moment to reflect on everything that has happened in order to allow us the American freedoms we enjoy today.
: American independence: 244 years of freedom
What was life like 100 years ago in usa?
What Was Life Like 100 Years Ago? – MyHeritage Blog No matter how much we learn about our ancestors as individuals, it’s hard to picture what their lives were like back then. What were their struggles and challenges? What were their daily routines? Was life simpler for them? A theatre troup in Del Tura, Florida compiled a list of what life was like 100 years ago.
Average life expectancy for men was 47. Fuel for cars was only sold in drug stores. Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone. The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower. The average US worker made between $200-$400 each year. More than 95 percent of all births took place at home. Sugar was 4 cents a pound, eggs were 14 cents a dozen, coffee was 15 cents a pound. Most women washed their hair only once a month, using Borax or egg yolks. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was only 30. Crossword puzzles, canned beer and iced tea had not yet been invented. There was neither a Mother’s Day nor a Father’s Day.
These are fascinating details about how our ancestors lived, giving us a small window into their lives. Learn more about your ancestors by, What do you think life will be like 100 years from today? : What Was Life Like 100 Years Ago? – MyHeritage Blog
What country will last the longest?
1. Monaco – One of the smallest countries in the world, Monaco also has the UN’s longest estimated life expectancy of any country as of 2023. Males in Monaco are expected to live an average of 85.17 years, and females are expected to live an even longer 88.99 years, for an overall average of 87.01 years.