Answer: Green

Today there is a very strong association between red, white, and blue and the celebration of the Fourth of July. The association is so strong, in fact, that it’s hard to imagine it was ever different. Yet early celebrations of U.S. independence were rather light on the now traditional red, white, and blue color palette and quite heavy on green.

Why green? Many of the soldiers wore green boughs in their caps while celebrating the holiday and some, like the Green Mountain Rangers (a.k.a. Green Mountain Boys), had green coats. The association between green and the troops, and the ready availability of green decorative materials and fabrics made it the color of choice early on.

Later, as the U.S. flag became a bigger icon of the fledgling country and red, white, and blue paper for decoration became widely available, the holiday became the tri-colored celebration we know it as today.