Fireworks, parades and family fun: Glorious photographs of how Americans marked Independence Day over the last two centuries

Photos show July 4 celebrations from 1900s to 1960s
Costume parties, picnics and Hollywood stars are pictured
By Jessica Jerreat PUBLISHED: 10:17 EST, 4 July 2013

The fashions may have changed but the way Americans celebrate July 4 has not, as this series of photographs from 1900 to the 1960s show.

Fireworks, parades and family picnics will be held across the country today as the U.S. celebrates breaking away from the UK in 1776.

Celebrations being held to celebrate 237 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed will resemble those from previous decades, as Americans get out their barbecues and flags to mark Independence Day.

Fire cracker: This little child looks excited by the promise of a fireworks display in 1906

On parade: Children take part in a festival through the streets of their hometown in 1919

Purr-fect patriot: A cat dressed as Uncle Sam in 1956 looks like he is singing the Star Spangled Banner

Since becoming a federal holiday in 1870, July 4 has become a chance for family and friends to enjoy a summer break.

John Adams, who later became the second President of the U.S. wrote that Independence Day should be celebrated with ‘pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other’.

As these photographs show, his hopes were realized, with fireworks being a prominent feature in celebrations from the turn of the century.

Dressed up: Uncle Sam and cowboy costumes are popular choices for this 1941 parade in Vale, Oregon

Celebration: These little girls in California are wearing their best white dresses as they wave flags in 1905

Stars and stripes: These girls turned to the flag for inspiration for their parade dresses in 1919

High note: A marching band leads the festivities through a packed street in Pennsylvania in 1960

Mad hatters: In this July 4 parade in 1895 men marched through the streets wearing top hats

Waiting game: A group of small children holding flags wait with their mothers for the parade to pass in 1905

Party time: Plenty of drink is flowing at this July 4 gathering on a porch in 1894

Show stopper: Silver screen star Gloria Shea appears as Uncle Sam in a West Coast celebration in 1932

Lady liberty: Young friends add ribbons and flags to their dresses for a 1905 celebration

Picnics: July 4 was a popular excuse to enjoy the great outdoors with friends in 1915, left, and 1929, right

Pomp: Dignitaries line up for the official opening of New York’s Tammany Hall, timed to coincide with the 153rd anniversary of Independence Day, in 1929