By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) â On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress formally endorsed the Declaration of Independence. Celebrations began within days: parades and public readings, bonfires and candles and the firing of 13 musket rounds, one for each of the original states.
Nearly a century passed before the country officially named its founding a holiday.
With the recent passage of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, the country now has 12 federal holidays. Many are fixtures in the American calendar, but their presence isn't only a story of continuity. They reflect how the U.S. has evolved â from an affiliation of states with a relatively small federal government to a more centralized nation.