On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation, and thus bringing into fruition the country that we now call the United States.

Over the past 238 years, from the modest estimated population of 2.5 million people in 1776, the country has grown in population and influence to today’s estimated population of 318.4 million, making it the world’s third most populated country (behind China and India, and ahead of Indonesia) with 4.4 percent of the world’s population.

As always, in America, this holiday will be marked by countless parties and celebrations with red, white and blue flags, fireworks, parades and backyard barbecues across the country.

There will also be no shortage of events to celebrate in Israel as well. Many expatriate Americans living in Israel as well as American tourists come together to celebrate their independence day while living in Israel.

Various bars and restaurants such as Mike’s Place in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are holding special events, and there are many organizations running events for American immigrants in Israel.

The Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel together with Beit Yehudit Community Center in Jerusalem and Habitza is holding A Salute to Olim (immigrants) party and celebration, honoring Canada Day and American Independence Day. The United States Embassy in Tel Aviv is holding their annual celebration as well.

With countries such as France, Greece, Poland, Russia and many South American countries turning to the USA as a beacon in their own struggles for freedom, countless others use the Constitution of the United States as a blueprint for their own national declarations and makeup. The effect that American independence has had upon global politics is undeniable.

But what gives the Fourth of July its significance in today’s day and age, and especially for Americans living abroad in a different country? Are we just celebrating the fact that the  Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776, or is there something more that Americans can get out of the day, both those at home and abroad?

In 1776 in Philadelphia, when the signatories of the declaration penned their names in ink to the document composed by Thomas Jefferson, they knew that this declaration of independence from the dictatorial rule of Great Britain might also be — literally — their death sentence.

They knew full well that the wrath and might of the British army would be sailing across the Atlantic to descend on the relatively defenseless colonies. They knew their scattered “states” didn’t have the numbers or arms or training to stand against the British, much less defeat them militarily. Yet they put their signatures, and their lives, their families, their destiny, on that parchment.

And so, against all odds, and even against reason, that Declaration told the world that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.”

They wanted to be free, to make their own decisions, to govern themselves and breathe the sweet air of liberty. And yes, they were the underdog that rose to victory, that has since hounded all ‘American’ stories including Hollywood and Broadway until today. That’s what this day is meant to be about.

As Pat Boone in Newsmax points out John Adams, himself a signer of the Declaration, thought that Americans should henceforth celebrate a “great anniversary festival.” In a letter to his wife Abigail Adams writes;

“It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

While Adams had a great vision, he was somewhat shortsighted, in that the celebration has traversed oceans as well. This day is surely a time for all of us who really cherish that original dream, the one for which so many have died, to individually and collectively re-declare our independence from tyranny, despotism, taxation without representation, senseless hatred, and the overriding of the freedoms of all individuals, in the name of the King or State. The holiday celebrates the bravery of individuals willing to put everything on the line for the right to live their lives as free people.

Thus this day has become a beacon to the world. Those who hate America and the freedom that it represents, rue the day. Those who align themselves with the ideals that generated the strength in those men to sign their “John Hancock”, can join in the celebration of what this day commemorates, no matter where in the world they are found.