John Adams was a visionary.

Who’d have thought — all these years later — that the fledgling nation he helped create would still be going strong and shining bright as the fireworks that will be lighting the sky as we celebrate its birthday?

In fact, exactly 249 years ago today, on July 3, 1776, Adams — who felt independence was declared on July 2 when a vote was taken — wrote to his wife, Abigail, that the day should be celebrated with “illuminations,” among other things.

Of course, in Adams’ day, “illuminations” was a nice way of saying “fireworks.”

For the future president, it was a way to celebrate the rebellion against the motherland and its King George III, especially against the concept of taxation without representation.

And yet, it seems ironic that the taxes that spawned the American Revolution help protect us during the nation’s most patriotic celebrations these days.

Back in 1776, the idea of taxes imposed by the British king was intolerable. Colonists had no say in how their money was spent.

Fireworks were often made locally and were considered unsafe.

Generally, they were illegal in Pennsylvania for a long time.

My father used to tell stories about his boyhood in the ’20s and ’30s, when fireworks often were in the form of the ear-piercing blasts of dynamite, which would somehow find its way out of a “dooley box.”

It wasn’t uncommon, too, in my own teen years, to run across someone who’d come across some “quarter-sticks,” “M-80s” or “cherry bombs” that we’d light with the glow from cigarettes we’d buy illegally from a mom-and-pop store in the town.

These things packed a punch. I knew a few people who couldn’t count to 10 on their hands after a July 4th beer bash in the local coal strip mines.

In the last decade, the state eased some of its fireworks rules, but those that made the biggest bangs, the professional grade, are still illegal for everyday consumers.

In 2017, Pennsylvania caved to the pressure created when lawmakers realized tax dollars were being left in adjoining states and some fireworks became legal for those 18 or older.

Before that, Pennsylvanians couldn’t legally buy fireworks of any type from any established fireworks dealer in the state. Back then, the Class C noisemakers were only available to people who could prove they lived in another state — any other state.

That changed again in 2022, when a follow-up law let local governments set limits on when fireworks might be used, established penalties and restructured how tax revenue generated from sales would be distributed.

Today, Pennsylvania consumers pick up the tab for smaller fireworks like firecrackers, bottle rockets and things of that ilk as long as they contain no more than 50 milligrams of explosive material — a little less mass than a low-dose aspirin.

Big box stores, the seasonal roadside tents and even licensed locations collect a 12% levy even before the state’s 6% sales tax is allowed. That translates to an extra $18 for each $100 spent.

Annually, the state collects between $10 million and $14 million in taxes on fireworks.

It’s allocated to specific issues, mostly to fund support for public safety and emergency programs for a slew of training assistance and Emergency Medical Services grants.

And unlike the taxes that John Adams and the Founding Fathers opposed, these levies show the improvements in our democracy.

The early colonists were steadfast in their fight to have a voice in how their money was used. Today, we have that same right with every vote and every dollar we pay in taxes.

Admittedly, there’s a huge debate over how those taxes will be spent, not to mention who’ll be responsible for paying them.

But everyone can agree that many of those dollars goes toward the common good.

On this holiday weekend, we can see the proof in the training of our emergency responders or the fire safety education in our schools.

Watching a community display or boasting about whose backyard blasts were better, we should do our best to remember how far we’ve come in 249 years.

From what began as resistance and grew through having representation, we can be proud of our journey as patriots has progressed.

And as we move into our 250th year, it’s our job to keep that journey moving forward.

John Adams would see that as illuminating.

ED SOCHA | tneditor@tnonline.com

Ed Socha is a retired newspaper editor with more than 40 years’ experience in community journalism.

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.