The Fourth of July is the most prominent all-American holiday — the birthday of our country — even though celebrating the Fourth didn’t become common until after 1815, and Independence Day wasn’t made a federal holiday until 1870. Do we ever celebrate! Families gather for parades, picnics, concerts, carnivals, baseball, and fireworks. So today, halfway between Memorial Day and Labor Day, as you’re getting out your festive red, white, and blue decorations or eating a hot dog at a barbecue or gawking at spectacular celestial explosions, stop for a moment and think about those who fought in the Revolutionary War. They endured many hardships and spilled their blood so that we could live in the freedom that we enjoy today.