--- title: Fourth of July: LIFE Magazine's Most Patriotic Covers description: LIFE.com celebrates the Fourth of July with a selection of LIFE magazine covers that proclaim, "We love this country, warts and all." canonical: https://time.com/3877441/fourth-of-july-life-magazines-most-patriotic-covers/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-06-17T20:48:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:47:35.274Z og:title: Fourth of July: LIFE Magazine's Most Patriotic Covers og:description: LIFE.com celebrates the Fourth of July with a selection of LIFE magazine covers that proclaim, "We love this country, warts and all." og:url: https://time.com/3877441/fourth-of-july-life-magazines-most-patriotic-covers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1611380dcfc5140e/6988477fcd68487c5509efad/05_07_02_45.jpg?branch=production&width=743&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 743 og:image:height: 418 og:image:alt: LIFE magazine cover July 2, 1945 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Fourth of July: LIFE Magazine's Most Patriotic Covers twitter:description: LIFE.com celebrates the Fourth of July with a selection of LIFE magazine covers that proclaim, "We love this country, warts and all." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1611380dcfc5140e/6988477fcd68487c5509efad/05_07_02_45.jpg?branch=production&width=743&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # LIFE Magazine's Most 'American' Covers > Sponsored content. 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The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jun 17, 2013 8:48 PM UTC  LIFE magazine cover, July 2, 1945. LIFE magazine cover, July 2, 1945. Eliot Elisofon—Life Magazine by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove Jun 17, 2013 8:48 PM UTC What’s the Fourth of July about, really? Stating that it “commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776” or that it “celebrates American liberty” is, of course — strictly speaking — accurate. But if we’re honest with ourselves, and if we consider what the United States’ major midsummer holiday has come to look, sound and even _smell_ like over the years, both of those historically correct assertions begin to feel a little …. incomplete. A little narrow. There’s no question that a good number of people celebrating the Fourth do, at some point during the festivities, take a moment to reflect on the very reason that the holiday exists: namely, to celebrate and give thanks for the freedoms Americans enjoy. Some of us salute the Founding Fathers; some of us thank any one of a dizzying array of deities; some of us thank “the troops,” past and present; some of us, simply, give thanks to our fellow Americans. Some celebrations are raucous. Some are subdued. There are picnics, family reunions, concerts, beach parties, movie dates, barbecues, hot dog and pie and watermelon eating contests and, of course, fireworks. Throughout it all, there’s the red, white and blue. Americans flags wave. Red, white and blue balloons swing around in the breeze. Grown men and women don red, white and blue garments in which they they would not be caught dead at any other time of year. Some folks, inspired by a sudden, surging patriotism, or a fine flow of booze, or both, insist on standing up and belting out the national anthem. Or “America the Beautiful.” Or, best of all, “This Land Is Your Land.” It’s America’s birthday, after all, and every birthday deserves a song. Here, LIFE.com celebrates the Fourth of July with a selection of LIFE magazine covers that proclaim, proudly and without a trace of irony, snark or sarcasm, _We love this country, warts and all, from sea to shining sea_. Happy birthday, America.  LIFE magazine cover, June 5, 1939. Herbert Gehr—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, February 26, 1940. Francis Miller—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, July 6, 1942. Dmitri Kessel—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, August 9, 1943\. (The WWII war effort at home.) Margaret Bourke-White—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, July 2, 1945. Eliot Elisofon—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, April 5, 1948. George Silk—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine, August 22, 1949. Leonard McCombe—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, July 4, 1955. Allan Grant—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, January 29, 1965. John Dominis—Life Magazine  LIFE magazine cover, August 11, 1969\. (American astronauts on the moon.) 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