Known now as a day of patriotism and enjoying time off from work, the Fourth of July began the journey to becoming a quintessential American holiday in 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The United States is celebrating Independence Day as President Trump kicked off the festivities with the America250 campaign, a day before signing a major tax bill into law on Friday.

On July 4, a series of demonstrations erupted across the United States in protest of President Donald Trump and his administration's policies. The protests on the country's 249th anniversary came less