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serve the transit of Venus. Charles Biddle, of the famous Philadelphia Biddles, said of the first Fourth: “There were few respectable persons present." John Adams, however, was more enthusiastic. He wrote: “Three cheers rended the welkin. The battalions paraded on the Common and gave us the feu de joie (salute), notwithstanding the scarcity of powder. The bells rang all day and almost all night. Congress Adjourned Next year, two days before July 4, it occurred to the Continental Congress that something should be done about the first anniversary of the Declaration. Arrangements were quickly made to adjourn Congress for the day, and hold a special dinner in Philadelphia.
In a letter to his daughter, John Adams described the festivities: Bells rang all day, there were bonfires in the streets, and fireworks in the evening. Warships in the river broke out their flags and fired salutes. A captured Hessian band fu> ished the mufsic for the special dinner, served at 3 p. m. in a city tavern. Between elaborate toasts, a company of soldiers fired volleys. After the dinner, the soldier^ paraded.
Taking a stroll that evening, Adams’'was surprised to find the whole city lighting up candles at the windows. I walked most of the evening and I think it was the most splendid illumination 1 ever saw; a few surly houses were dark, but the lights were very universal."
Constitution Paraded In 1788, Philadelphia again celebrated the Fourth and also l
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