Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (right) and United States (US) Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency N. Nickolas Perry, raise a toast during the reception held at the US Embassy in Kingston on June 26 to celebrate the 248th anniversary of independence of the US. July 4 is Independence Day in the US, marking the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, signalling the official separation of the 13 original colonies from Great Britain.