In July 1941, the town of Vale, Oregon marked the Fourth of July with a patriotic parade down its main street. Photographed by Russell Lee, it shows American flags strung overhead, and residents gathered along the sidewalks in front of local storefronts. Just months before the United States entered World War II, communities like this were already expressing national pride in public celebrations.
Patriotic Child on the Fourth of July
A child poses with an armful of fireworks and an American flag in this photograph made around 1906, on the day before the Fourth of July. Children often played a central role in the holiday, carrying flags and firecrackers as symbols of anticipation rather than ceremony. The glimpse of an earlier, more informal kind of patriotism, rooted in everyday life and shaped by traditions that predate modern rules and organized celebrations.