Modern Argentina was also born in 1776

The United States' Independence Day, celebrated on July 4, 1776, is a date that marks the public declaration of reasons for separation from Britain, but the nation's birth involved a more complex timeline.

Legal arguments against British acts like the Sugar and Stamp Act, spearheaded by figures like James Otis Jr., suggest a nascent sense of common cause among the colonies between 1764 and 1766. During this period, the British North American colonies, previously independent and poorly connected, began to recognize shared challenges posed by King George III and Parliament, initiating joint actions.

John Adams, a key figure in the independence movement, noted in a letter to his wife Abigail that July 2, 1776, was the pivotal day. This was when the Second Continental Congress formally resolved to declare independence. The Declaration of Independence, adopted two days later, served to articulate the justifications for this resolution to the world and the American people.

The article also points out that the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1788-89, and subsequent amendments, particularly the 13th, 14th, and 15th following the Civil War, significantly altered the nation. This leads to the argument that the United States as it is known today is only 161 years old, with the pre-Civil War era, or "Antebellum" period, representing a distinct historical phase.

Drawing a parallel, the piece suggests that Argentina, like the U.S., does not have a single, definitive day or year for its modern birth. The "Generation of '37" aimed to unify disparate factions by focusing on the May Revolution of 1810 and the 1816 independence, seeking to forge a collective identity and national unity. This historical framing often overlooks the preceding 300 years of colonial history and the internal conflicts that shaped the region.