On July 3, 1776, John Adams penned a deeply moving and prophetic letter to his wife, Abigail, acknowledging the massive toil and blood and treasure it would require to defend the newly declared independent states. Despite the looming gloom of war, Adams wrote that he could see rays of ravishing light and glory ahead.
The incredible twist behind this famous letter is that Adams explicitly predicted Americans would celebrate their independence on July 2nd, not July 4th. He believed that the July 2nd vote to approve the independence resolution would be the holiday commemorated by future generations with bonfires, games, and illuminations. Because the formal text of the Declaration wasn’t approved until July 4th, Adams accidentally got his own national holiday wrong — and he remained so convinced of July 2nd’s primacy that he often declined July 4th celebrations later in life.
