‘Part and parcel of our common heritage’: the fourth of july and Anglo-American relations

Abstract This article provides the first comprehensive study of the role played by July 4th in the long history of US-UK relations, with a particular focus on the period 1776 to 1976. It begins by briefly considering how Britons received the news of American independence back in 1776 before then shifting focus to a key moment of diplomatic shift –the so-called Anglo-American ‘rapprochement’ of the period c.1890-1920. In the second section, the article turnsattention to how exactly July 4th has been actively ‘used’ by and within Anglo-American memory diplomacy, from the First World War through to the era of the special relationship (that is, the period c.1945 onwards). By drawing on a diverse source base, including press coverage, cultural ephemera, and anniversary commemorations, this article shows how transatlantic memory diplomats have reimagined July 4th – downplaying transatlantic division and emphasising instead themes of Anglo-American comradeship and connection. The article concludes by pondering what this all means for the Semiquincentennial and beyond.