On July 4th, 1776, the United States achieved its independence from the United Kingdom, thus beginning the first representative democratic republic in the history of mankind. Today marks the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the country. That day was further named as the “Birthday of America”.
“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for a people to dissolve the political ties that have bound it to another and to take the separate and equal position among the nations of the earth”, said the beginning of the text of the Declaration of Independence, which was signed in Congress.
In this first document, the direct antecedent of the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen achieved after the French Revolution of 1789, the democratic aspirations sought for centuries by the most progressive sectors were already collected.
The Declaration of Independence defended that all men are equal and have inalienable rights to Life, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. To guarantee these rights, men choose governments, which can be abolished if they do not represent the people. In addition, the 13 colonies that were formerly part of the United Kingdom were established as free and independent states.
In this regard, the first representative democratic republic in history was already based on the 2 basic pillars of all democracy: Universal and secret suffrage, and total freedom of the press. On the one hand, universal suffrage allows citizens to choose those who govern them. On the other hand, press freedom ensures that candidates are known and issues that affect public opinion.
The “Debate” about that date
One of the founding fathers of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, believed that Independence Day should be celebrated on July 2nd. This date, on which the vote for independence took place, he defined it as “The Great Anniversary Festival”, in a letter he wrote to his wife Abigail.
However, the day chosen to celebrate the birthday of America was on July 4th, the date that appears printed on the top of the official document of the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, that date was made public and the rest is history. What do you think about it?
American citizens in Costa Rica
They are the 3rd most important immigrant group in Costa Rica in terms of population, after Nicaraguans and Colombians. In total, about 16,000 Americans reside in the country and almost half (1/2) of them are under 29 years old.
41% of the homes of these immigrants are married couples with children. 42% of those who have more than 12 years of residence work in our country and 19% are retired or pensioned.
Of those who work, most do it so in education, administrative activities, support services, and in commerce. Almost half (1/2) of the employed of that nationality work in private companies and a quarter (1/4) of them work for their own account.
Their favorite cantons to live in are San José (Central), Pérez Zeledón, Escazú, Alajuela, Santa Ana, and Santa Cruz.
