What Does Celebrating June 4th Say About Americans?
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Running Head: What Does Celebrating July 4th Say About Americans? 1
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What Does Celebrating July 4th Say About Americans?
What Does Celebrating July 4th Say About Americans?
Baylee Vaughn
Butler Community College
Abstract
If the accepted definition of Symbolic interactionism is ?a school of thought in sociology that explains social behavior in terms of how people interact with each other via symbols? (Chegg.com) then celebrating the 4th of July Holiday can be rightfully described as the quintessential example of symbolic interaction. On that day, 160 million will enjoy a cookout and 115 million will attend an organized fireworks display and $649 million will be spent by…show more content… One remembers the incident because it was symbolic to them. Celebrating the 4th of July Holiday can be rightfully described as the quintessential example of symbolic interaction as a day that represents the?Declaration of Independence?and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation even though the declaration was actually made on July 2, 1776 and the first draft of the Declaration of Independence was started in June 1776; however America remembers July 4 because that was the date that found its way on the Declaration of Independence and the date we remember. Pragmatists, George H. Mead, Charles H. Cooley, and W. I. Thomas believe ?The central theme of symbolic interactionism is that human life is lived in the symbolic domain. Symbols are culturally derived social objects having shared meanings that are created and maintained in social interaction. Through language and communication, symbols provide the means by which reality is constructed. Reality is primarily a social product, and all that is humanly consequential?self, mind, society, culture?emerges from and is dependent on symbolic interactions for its existence.?? (encyclopedia.com) Since in layman?s terms, Symbolic interactionism is a downtoearth approach to the scientific study of human group life and human conduct, the July 4th Celebration is an excellent example of symbolic interactionism. There probably is no