How should we refer to this July holiday?

 Americans celebrate their independence from England on Thursday. If you want to be truly authentic while barbecuing and watching the fireworks, should you refer to the holiday as “the Fourth of July” or “Independence Day?”

“Independence Day,” or even “Independent Day.” When 18^th-century state legislatures planned the first July 4 observances, they didn’t bother to give the day a proper name. “Independence Day,” however, had slightly more currency than “Fourth of July” in contemporary writings. A Royall Tyler poem dating to the late 18^th or early 19^th century, for example, commands Americans to “squeak the fife and beat the drum, independence day is come!” Tyler also refers to the holiday as “Independent Day,” which was a widely used alternative.

Read more from Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2013/07/fourth_of_july_vs_independence_day_what_did_early_americans_call_it.html