A massive heat wave and political divisions didn't stop Americans from celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country's founding.Show Caption
From New York to California, sun-drenched Americans poured into city plazas, backyard barbecues, beaches and local bars for super-sized celebrations marking the country's 250th anniversary.The milestone coincided with a massive heat wave that brought stifling triple-digit temperatures and weather advisories to much of the country, causing a slew of canceled events. Hundreds of thousands temporarily evacuated festivities in Boston and Washington, DC, amid concerns about severe thunderstorms.Still, many Americans were reluctant to let the sweltering heat or stormy skies stop their party. As the day began in New York City, crowds decked out in red, white and blue gathered in grassy parks along the Hudson River to watch the parade of tall ships. Revolutionary War reenactors flooded the streets of Boston. In Philadelphia, lawmakers lowered into the ground a time capsule – a gift to future Americans. Balancing on a light pole in New York’s Battery Park, Elver and Vanessa Radke attempted to glimpse the tall ships' white sails. “We’re here to celebrate the 250-year anniversary and everything that comes with it,” Elver Radke said. “Freedom and liberty.” At the crack of dawn in San Francisco, hundreds schlepped picnic blankets and lawn chairs to a beach beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, attempting to secure a front-row spot for the night’s fireworks. “It’s a historic moment,” said Bill Avera, who left his home in Hollister, California, at 6 a.m. with his wife Julie and traveled 98 miles for the event. His plans weren’t different from most Americans: “barbecue and watch the fireworks.” Signs of division show through Yet, for some Americans, the anniversary served only as a reminder of the country’s deep political polarization. In Washington, DC, hundreds of masked members of a White supremacist group known as the Patriot Front marched through the streets the morning of July Fourth chanting “reclaim America” and carrying Confederate flags. The group, already one of the largest White supremacist organizations in the country, is quickly growing its membership, at a time when hate crimes are on the rise. Elsewhere, some Americans said President Donald Trump’s handling of the country made it difficult to relish the country’s 250th milestone. Lindsay Knapp, who served in the U.S. Army, traveled from South Carolina to show other veterans that their voices matter. “We’re trying to mobilize a community of love,” Knapp said. As the sun rose in in Louisville, Kentucky, some gathered at Historic Locust Grove, a green expanse where famous Americans like Meriwether Lewis and William Clark once met, to celebrate the United States' diversity “Some people do not feel real patriotic right now,” said Jessica Dawkins, president and CEO of Historic Locust Grove. “We wanted to become a place where people could come together in unity, and respect, and connection with the land that has supported us all these years,” Joanie Prentice, one of the attendees, said she loved the “peacefulness and the simplicity of it.” Contributing: Amethyst Martinez, Noe Padilla, Phaedra Trethan, Ruby GrisinKarissa Waddick covers America's 250th anniversary for USA TODAY. She can be reached at kwaddick@usatoday.com.
