People are approaching this Independence Day with mixed feelings. Polls show declining national pride, especially among Democrats, during the Trump era.

It's been 249 years since the Declaration of Independence was passed by the Continental Congress in 1776, which the holiday commemorates.

Known now as a day of patriotism and enjoying time off from work, the Fourth of July began the journey to becoming a quintessential American holiday in 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.