July 4th - Independence day - Wiki for kids at cool school

My Cool School project is all about our national holiday July 4th! As you may know, July 4th is considered America's birthday! Happy Birthday America! It's also known as Independence Day. Along time ago, on July 4, 1776, The Declaration of Independence was adopted. It was put together by some very important men, also known as the Founding Fathers. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and the main writer, Thomas Jefferson. You know, the 3rd president of the United States, the guy on the 2 dollar bill, and the inventor of macaroni and cheese! Hey dad! What's for dinner? Why, mac and cheese of course! Again?? Well, I DID invent it, dear... Thomas Jefferson declared that the original 13 colonies were no longer to be governed by King George III of Great Britain. No more king! We want to be free! What?? I don't get to rule the land across the pond? But I just got tickets to see a Broadway show in New York City! Too bad, King George. We are going to be our OWN country with the freedom to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And, with our new-found freedom, we're gonna celebrate every year with parades, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fireworks! Back in 1776, there were only 2.5 million people living in the United States. Today, there's an estimated 316 million people in the country! And 41 millions ducks! Quack quack! The first American flag had 13 stars in a circle and 13 stripes in total, with 7 red stripes and 6 white stripes to represent the colonies. Today, when we wave OUR flag, it has 50 stars for the 50 states. The first every July 4th party inside the White House was in 1801. Speaking of celebrations, Did you know, the 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4th? And so was President Obama's daughter, Malia! What an AWESOME day to have your birthday! Alright, Malia, after we eat cake, we'll watch fireworks on the lawn! Woo-hoo! On July 4th, Americans spend over $227,000,000 on fireworks! Ka-boom! Those ducks are real fireQUACKERS! In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of the Liberty Bell, the July 4th tradition is to-- No! Don't ring the bell! It could crack!! Oops... I guess we should just tap it from now on... Yep! The tradition is to tap the bell 13 times in honor of the 13 colonies. When I think of July 4th, I think of hanging out with family, and eating a LOT of food! Did you know, Americans eat 155,000,000 hot dogs on July 4th? That's a lot of hot dogs! I'm takin' a break from my fly diet. Hot dogs and burgers are MUCH better! So what do YOU like to do on July 4th? Tell us in the comments below! My Cool School project is all about presidents! When I grow up, I wanna be president of the United States! Why? Well, when you're president, you get to live in the White House! And you get your own helicopter and airplane! You can fly anywhere you want. I would fly to Disney World, like, everyday! And presidents can say "no" to other people's new laws. That's called a veto! I'd say "N-o" to all the boring laws, and replace them with awesome ones! Like the law about having to take math tests, I would veto that Bedtime is 8:30, young lady! Bedtime? Veto! New law: no bedtime! And presidents get to have their faces on cool stuff, like money, and mountains, and on Halloween masks! So, who are some of America's presidents from history? Let's start with the very first president: George Washington. He helped start the USA with his friends over 200 years ago. He wore a wig and had wooden teeth, and he was not nice to his cherry tree. ...but at least he told the truth about it! Sorry... Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States! He was the tallest president ever, and not just because he wore such a big hat! Here's an awesome fact about Abe Lincoln: he was a wrestler! Maybe that's how he won the election! I wonder if he had a cool wrestling nickname, like The Rock! The Lincolnator! Awesome fact number 2: Lincoln Logs were named after him because he was born in a log cabin! He was really smart, and he kept the country together, which I really appreciate. Another president who had a toy named after him was Teddy Roosevelt, our 26th president! Hm, the Roosevelt bear?... Oh wait, the Teddy Bear! That's kind of cool! I'd like a bear named after me, too. He didn't actually have any bears in the White House. But Calvin Coolidge had a pet hippopotamus! And Herbert Hoover had pet alligators! Some presidents had cool hobbies. Teddy Roosevelt liked to walk around on stilts. Maybe he wanted to be taller than Abe Lincoln... The 44th president, Barack Obama, collects comic books. His favorites are Conan the Barbarian and Spiderman! Ronald Reagan, the 40th president, was an actor. He was in a movie with a monkey! Thomas Jefferson, president number 3, invented the swivel chair! AND built a macaroni machine! Maybe he liked to spin around while eating mac and cheese. Sometimes, presidents get in trouble, One time, the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, got a ticket for speeding... on his horse! [neighs] Willian Taft was the 27th president. Sometimes he got stuck in the bathtub... I hope he kept some toys in there! It's also super important that presidents read a lot of books and know a lot of stuff! The 42nd president, Bill Clinton, knows a LOT. One time a guy gave him a quiz about My Little Pony, and Bill Clinton got all the questions right! I wonder who's HIS favorite pony. My favorite pony is Rainbow Dash! And my favorite president might be kid president! He's into hugs, dance breaks, and just being awesome! So basically, presidents are cool and get to stay up super late and watch My Little Pony! And walk around on stilts! And get toys and bears named after them! And that's why I want to be president. So vote for me for president in 2044! I support watching more Cool School. So click here for another video! And make sure to subscribe. I'm Kelly, and I approve this message!