July 4th

In this short film, five young descendants of Frederick Douglass read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" which asks all of us to consider America's long history of denying equal rights to Black Americans.

Alcohol makes people lose inhibitions. And maybe take off their masks, and get up close and personal. Here's why you may want to reconsider going out this weekend. Or how to stay safe if you do.

A favorable weather forecast and the Fourth of July falling on a weekend has beach communities in the Pacific Northwest bracing for an onslaught despite the ongoing pandemic. Two beach towns that tend to be holiday crowd magnets are particularly in the limelight this year.

As many as 50 million Americans annually suffer from food poisoning after eating something that wasn’t handled or cooked properly. Among those, about 130,000 people are hospitalized, and 3,000 people die from foodborne illnesses. Though the problem may seem unpredictable, it’s entirely preventable.

Church bells rang out over Philadelphia 243 years ago today as the Continental Congress adopted this draft of the Declaration of Independence. In 1989, Morning Edition launched what has become an Independence Day tradition: hosts, reporters, newscasters and commentators reading the Declaration of Independence.

The Washington State Patrol says injuries happen because people are holding them or standing over them when the fireworks go off. It sounds obvious, but the likely reason is people aren’t sure what to expect and when. The solution, says the state patrol, is to read the instructions for each firework before you go out in the dark.