When I think about Fourth of July, a few things come to mind. And it's not the things that should come to mind. Since the development of many social media outlets, the biggest being Instagram, Fourth of July has turned into more of a holiday of lake pictures with American flag bikinis than an actual celebration of Independence. The things that come to mind during the Fourth of July holiday are not freedom, independence, the declaration, etc. But more like barbecues, lakes, beers and American flag apparel that most people bought on the weekend just for the Fourth.

For me, it's hard to recognize Fourth of July as such an important holiday, which is completely is, when a majority of people can't answer the question: What year was the Declaration of Independence signed? Another question many stumble on, which seems odd is: Where did we gain our Independence from?

An example of this is in Mark Dice's recent video about Fourth of July where he goes around asking every day American's questions about Independence Day.

Even though not everyone is unaware of the reasons we celebrate Fourth of July or remember history class back in middle school, it seems to be common. And when people become more concerned with posting pictures to try and document their love for America or how amazing of a country we are, Fourth of July seems to just become another drinking day.

Saying all of this might make me seem like I'm in love with America. I'm not. I'm the person that says they want to move to Canada every day and actually means it. But I do appreciate many aspects of my country and the progress we've achieved as a nation (even though it doesn't seem like much progress with the recent election). I think Fourth of July should be appreciated just like any other holiday because it does make America, well America.

So on this Fourth of July, go out and have fun! Of course don't forget all the fun activities you had planned with family and friends. It's still okay to go to the beach or the lake or a pool party. But just try to remember somethings about why we celebrate Fourth of July and who helped as gain our Independence. Without our founding fathers, we'd probably be the United States of Britain (spoiler alert!). Also, save your (probably illegal) fireworks until the night time. I'm already afraid of them and I don't want to hear them on July 3rd at 1:03 pm in your backyard. Happy Fourth!