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

The Fourth of July is a celebration of all things American with parades, backyard barbecues and the night sky lit up with fireworks.

Hundreds of protesters who spent the Fourth of July in downtown Los Angeles to rally against the immigration raids that have roiled the region and the surge in federal funding approved this week to keep them going.