USA: WASHINGTON: INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS

Описание: (4 Jul 1996) English/Nat

From parades and fireworks to a reading of the Declaration of Independence - Americans were out in force celebrating their nation's 220th birthday.

But it wasn't all just about traditional American celebrations, though.

Chinese-Americans gathered in Washington D-C for a special Fourth of July parade.

It was a full-fledged revolution in Washington D-C Thursday.

Actors donned 18th-century garb and fired cannons and rifles in re-enactments of the Revolutionary War.

It was all part of an array of festivities in the nation's capital as Americans celebrated their 220th year of independence from Britain.

Hundreds gathered to listen to the Declaration of Independence, read outside the building where the original is on display.

SOUNDBITE:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident - that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights - that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
SUPER CAPTION: Henry Morgan, Actor

Officials expected well over 300-thousand people to gather in downtown Washington to celebrate the city's one of a kind remembrance of freedom and liberty.

The Fourth of July was also a time for Americans to get a little misty about what it means to be a citizen of the United States.

VOXPOP:
"It's a chance to celebrate the birth of a nation and exhibit our patriotism."
SUPERCAPTION: Patriotic American

But it wasn't all just about traditional American celebrations, though.

This Chinese parade in Washington D-C was a far cry from Gettysburg.

But as the history books say, it's the melting pot of cultures that made America what it is today.

The festivities are to be capped by the annual 25-minute fireworks display later on Thursday.

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