Frank Cotolo
July 3, 2010

 

Two days in July are dedicated to celebrate two great countries, Canada and the United States of America. On July 1 we hold Canada Day and on July 4 we hold Independence Day.

 

It is no coincidence that July 1 and July 4 are three days apart. The number 1 and the number 4 have always been that close but so has Canada and the USA. For as long as time has been recorded, the two countries have shared the same continent, North America. Even more so than Mexico shares the border of its own country with the border of South America, the border that separates Canada from the U.S.A. has deeper roots, as well as more routes to drive back and forth.

 

The two countries have never been one, which is another reason for separate celebrations. Back in 1856 someone suggested that there be one day of celebration, calling it North America Day. There was opposition by people in both countries, as well as some people in Mexico who did not want to start a precedent. But back then Mexico did not have a precedent; it was ruled by a military general.

 

No one wanted separate days of celebration due to the fireworks industry's great influence on July 4 in the USA. The American Fireworks Workers Union (AFWU) claimed that once there was a single day for a double celebration there would be no use for fireworks that made noise and not color. This led to a strike.

 

In 1856 fireworks were legal in every state of the U.S.A. and the British-ruled United Povince of Canada. There was no restrictions for bringing the fireworks over the border, either. The AFWU had thousands of members, some with no limbs, and they supported a great economic factor in North America. No one wanted to upset the AFWU, for fear that union bosses would put Ash Cans and Cherry Bombs in people's pants and light them so they exploded and ruined countless pairs of pants.

 

The people who wanted a single day's celebration were unorganized. Both of them lived in the same house, too. They presented the measure to the Parliament in Canada and to the Congress in the US. At both institutions they were met with one question: "Who are you guys?"

 

Today it is a good thing that the two celebrations are on different days. For one, it means people have excuses to get drunk twice as opposed to once. For another, it means that even though fireworks have become illegal in much of the U.S.A., people from Canada can legally buy them in the U.S.A.