Central Florida resident celebrates 4th of July with patriotic lawn painting
Photo from Eddy Mazarredo
HEATHROW, Fla. - A Central Florida resident is celebrating Independence Day with a patriotic lawn painting.
FOX 35 viewer Eddy Mazarredo sent in photos of his lawn in Heathrow on Sunday.
"Last year I painted the lawn. This year we did it again only bigger, bolder, and brighter," he said. "We added LED – really brings out the majesty of the flag."
Photo from Eddy Mazarredo
Photo from Eddy Mazarredo
THE HISTORY OF THE FOURTH OF JULY
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally endorsed the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations began within days: parades and public readings, bonfires and candles and the firing of 13 musket rounds, one for each of the original states. Nearly a century passed before the country officially named its founding a holiday.
Statewide and local gatherings for Independence Day and other holidays are as old as the country itself.
The meaning of July 4 has continued to evolve, from president to president. Franklin D. Roosevelt and George W. Bush are among those who dedicated Independence Day speeches to the military, whether during World War II or in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. John F. Kennedy's 1962 address, in the midst of the Cold War, called independence the "single issue that divides the world today" and invoked "the longing for independence behind the Iron Curtain." In 2014, President Barack Obama cited the promise of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as a reason "immigrants from around the world dream of coming to our shores."
For Independence Day in 2020, less than two months after the murder of George Floyd, President Donald Trump denounced Black Lives Matters protesters and what he called "a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children." His eventual successor, Joe Biden, issued a brief video saying the country had yet to live up to its promise of equality, noting that even Jefferson was a slaveholder.