Americans marked 250 years of independence on Saturday with mixed emotions, as celebrations reflected both national pride and growing uncertainty about the country's future.
Thousands gathered on Washington's National Mall, stretching across the monument-lined park despite temperatures approaching 38°C (100°F).
National Guard troops, controversially deployed by President Donald Trump, managed crowds as forklifts delivered pallets of bottled water, prompting people to scramble for supplies in scenes resembling a disaster response.
Despite the heat and long queues, the atmosphere remained festive, with crowds breaking into chants of "USA! USA! USA!" near the National Gallery.
Trump organised a programme of flyovers and an unusual campaign-style political rally for July Fourth, which marks the anniversary of the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The national holiday comes in the middle of a brutal heatwave, with some 160 million Americans under extreme weather warnings, wreaking havoc with parades, block parties and barbecues in towns and cities across much of the country.
Outside Washington, New York is hosting an international parade of tall ships, with flyovers and its own massive fireworks display.
Speaking at the International Naval Review there, Vice President JD Vance urged Americans to dismiss criticism of the US, arguing that some people "speak obsessively, not of our national greatness, but of our national imperfections."
Vance criticised those voices, saying they "talk about America's sins with the anger and zeal of a brimstone preacher, but without any of the grace or forgiveness that must be present in the Christian faith."
For Americans, the 250th anniversary festivities offer a moment for reflection as well as celebration.
After two and a half centuries of triumphs and tragedies, slavery and freedom, civil war and world wars, multiple surveys indicate a nation divided about where it is and where it's going.
A Quinnipiac University poll showed 61 percent of Americans thought the US was not living up to the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence — though most Republicans think it does, and most Democrats think it doesn't.
