 in the Declaration of Independence is, of course, July 4th, the day that it was ratified. It was a relatively uneventful day for the Congress, but that's what we remember because of the date on the Declaration. The American people really didn't know about the ratification of the document until several days later, and it was read outside of what is now Independence Hall on July 8th, and that was really when the first celebration of independence was held in our country.