United States Independence Day

That the Parliament recognises 4 July as the day that the United States of America declared its emancipation from Britain and paved the way for democracy in 1776; understands that 4 July was the day on which the final text of the Declaration of Independence, primarily penned by Thomas Jefferson and delegates from what was then the 13 colonies, and which, according to United States Senate Resolution 155, was modelled on Scotland’s Declaration of Arbroath, was accepted by the Continental Congress and that it was designated as a federal holiday in 1941; considers that American Independence Day carries great importance as it signifies the genesis of the United States of America as a self-governing nation, with a constitution, which enshrines in law the values of free speech, prosperity and of equality of opportunity, which, it believes, mirrors the grit and bravery of the forefathers who opted to struggle for their liberty and disassociate from British governance, and wishes all Americans, including the more than five million Scottish diaspora living in America, all the very best as they celebrate their Independence Day and what it sees as the right to self-determination and self-governance.