At Pennsylvania's Independence Hall Thursday, former Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Jordan's King Hussein received the Philadelphia Liberty Medal.

CNN: Americans celebrate 220 years of freedom

In Philadelphia, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell were closed.

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"Preventing hatred of your fellow man, and extending love to him, are the two sides of true liberty, " Peres said as he accepted the medal in a ceremony outside historic Independence Hall.

CNN: Americans celebrate 220 years of freedom

Saginaw, Michigan (CNN) -- Three days before Independence Day, Milton Hall died in a fusillade of police gunfire outside a strip mall.

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Hues of red and yellow will mark the Chinese New Year while Polish Independence Day will see the city hall turned red and white.

BBC: Rays of light over Belfast City Hall

The documents that we hold in this very hall -- the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights -- these are not simply words written into aging parchment.

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This week, President Obama celebrated Independence day with military families on the South Lawn, hosted a Twitter Town Hall on the economy and jobs and continued to work with leaders from both houses of Congress to find a balanced approach to reducing our long-term deficit.

WHITEHOUSE: West Wing Week 7/7/11 or "Ready to Tweet"

But when North Shore held a series of town hall meetings to pitch the idea, doctors worried that hospitals would steal their patients or undermine their independence by dictating what treatments to use.

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