Beginning in 1777, Americans commemorated the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the fourth of July with readings of the document, firework displays, feasting, and toasts, as well as in commemorative speeches, poems, and songs. In this poem or ode, the author, said to be Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and noted American author and composer, contributed these verses to celebrate July 4, 1788, in Philadelphia.