The biggest celebration in the area was the Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks show. The 25-minute display lit up the sky over the East River, and with the Brooklyn Bridge as the backdrop, it was truly a spectacular sight witnessed by hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Hosted by Ariana DeBose, the show will include performances by Lenny Kravitz, the Jonas Brothers, Ava Max, Eric Church, Keke Palmer, and Trisha Yearwood.

People are approaching this Independence Day with mixed feelings. Polls show declining national pride, especially among Democrats, during the Trump era.

In Greater Boston, the Fourth of July includes a number of annual traditions: music at the Hatch Shell, the presentation of the Declaration of Independence, and the reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

Displays of patriotism were evident at parades and hot dog eating contests, even at a time of deep political divisions among Americans.

President Donald Trump signed his mammoth domestic policy bill into law, securing a major legislative win by his July Fourth target date.