Independence Day is a day to celebrate America’s birthday. However, July 4 isn’t the only important day in U.S. history. Here are a few other dates worth celebrating:
• January 15. Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was born on this day in 1929. MLK Jr. Day is now celebrated on the third Monday in January.
• February 4. “The First Lady of Civil Rights,” Rosa Parks, was born on this day in 1913 and became an international symbol of resistance to racial segregation.
• February 12. Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in 1809 and later became the 16th president. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing Black slaves. His birthday is now celebrated with others on the third Monday of February, Presidents’ Day.
• March 3. The United States adopted “The Star-Spangled Banner” as its official national anthem in 1931, more than a century after it was penned by Francis Scott Key in 1814.
• June 14. The United States adopted the Stars and Stripes as its national flag in 1777.
• June 19. This day, commemorated as Juneteenth, is the day in 1865 when the last remaining slaves in Texas were informed that they were free. The day became a national holiday in 2021.
• August 26. Congress ratified the 19th Amendment on this day in 1920, recognizing the right of women to vote.
• September 17. The United States adopted its Constitution on this day in 1787.
