Everything Everywhere Daily · Saturday, July 4, 2026
As the United States developed political parties, Fourth of July celebrations became divided. Historian Michael Hāttan noted that Democratic Republicans featured artisans and workers in their parades, while Federalist celebrations were more hierarchical.
“As the nation migrated to a system based on political parties, the very factions that George Washington had warned Americans about in his 1796 farewell address had compromised the unity of the Fourth of July.”
“For the Democratic Republicans, especially in the North, the parades would heavily feature artisans and workers because they saw themselves as the more popular, less elitist party. Processions in Federalist-controlled areas would often have been organized in a much more hierarchical fashion and led by the most important people in town.”