India, July 4 -- Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, marks the birth of the United States as an independent nation. On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The document declared the 13 American colonies free from the British rule.

Prior to this, this region was made up of 13 British colonies along the eastern coast of North America, which is now known as the US. While these colonies had their own local governments and elected assemblies, they continued to remain under the British monarchy before 1776.

The American Revolution was witnessed after a feeling of resentment among colonists due to major dissatisfaction over various policies like taxation without representati...