On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence setting the 13 Colonies on the path toward freedom as a sovereign nation. 

When the nation was born there were roughly 2.5 million people living in the United States on July 4, 1776, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Here are some other Fourth of July facts.

• The estimated population of the United States July 4, 2012: 313.9 million
• In 2011, the estimated amount paid for imported flags in the United States was $3.6 million. Of which $3.3 was spend on flags made in China.
• Value of exported flags from the U.S. in 2011 was about $663,071, with Mexico was the biggest customer spending $80,349.
• The amount of fireworks imported to the United States in 2011 was $232.3 million, with the bulk of the imports from China.
• Exported fireworks from the U.S. — the majority purchased ($4.5 million) by Australia — were $15.8 million in 2011.
• Once our adversary, the United Kingdom is now the United States sixth-leading trading partner with 107. 1 billion in trade conducted in 2011.
• It is expected that one in three households will eat hot dogs or some form of pork sausage on the Fourth of July.
• The likelihood that the burgers being cooked on grills around the country started off as cattle in Texas is pretty high with 7.2 billion pounds of cattle and calves produced in the state in 2011.

Source: The United States Census Bureau