Headline Roundup • July 4th, 2021
Perspectives: Fourth of July 2021
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Fourth of July, also referred to as Independence Day, brings both celebration and debate each year. Many in the U.S. take the day to celebrate American independence and the values of freedom. There's sometimes a partisan divide over the holiday; some say the nation's history of slavery and oppression are also worthy of attention on Independence Day, and that celebrating freedom is complicated.
Homepages looked vastly different across the political spectrum on Sunday. Right-rated outlets often celebrated Independence Day; some right-rated voices said that this country was "founded a nation expressly on the ideals of liberty," dismissing "mendacious" initiatives such as the 1619 Project. Some left-rated voices reminded Americans of their "debt to Black Americans" and argued that the holiday undermines black Americans' impact on U.S. history. Some center-rated voices advocated for unifying Americans around returning to traditional Fourth of July celebrations as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Axios
Americans may have fallen short of President Biden's July 4 vaccination goal, but by most measures, we should be thankful for how far we've come in the past year.
The big picture: Last July 4, many Americans were hunkering down in their backyards with small cookouts, and travel was way down. This year, most adults have at least some vaccine protection, travel is back up, and most Americans are ready to move on with their lives.
By the numbers: As of Saturday, 67% of U.S. adults have gotten at least one vaccine dose, according to the Centers...
Washington Post
In his famous Independence Day oration of 1852, Frederick Douglass asked, “What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?” If we turn that around and ask, “What to the Fourth of July were African Americans?,” we can only answer: “A lot.”
African Americans played a crucial, if often overlooked, role in their White owners’ and neighbors’ decision to declare independence from Britain.
Starting in November 1774 — five months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord — Blacks in the Virginia Piedmont gathered to assess how to use...
Washington Examiner
As this great nation celebrates its 245th birthday, it is time to fight back, hard, against the critical race theory and 1619 Project lies claiming that the founding was motivated largely by racism and slavery.
When even the National Archives, the repository of the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, wastes huge amounts of time and money in a mendacious initiative adopting the 1619 Project’s slander of the founding and of the nation, it is clear that the battle for the truth of our nation’s origins must be joined.
The truth remains, as it was...
AllSides Picks
Blog
MK Ultra Update, a 'Kill Switch' for Cars, and Other News You May Have Missed
Malayna J. Bizier
May 12th, 2026
Headline Roundup
Judge Blocks Trump Immigration and Asylum Policies, Orders Processing to Resume
June 6th, 2026
Blog
Euthanasia Malpractice, Migrant ‘Abuses’ and a Racism Ruling: Latest News You Likely Missed
Malayna J. Bizier
June 6th, 2026
.png)
More News about General News on AllSides
News from the Left
News from the Center
News from the Right
Associated Press
