During a meeting of the Second Continental Congress, on June 11, 1776, they chose five people to write a document that would become the Declaration of Independence. They met in the American city of Philadelphia. Responding to actions taken by Great Britain, including the Intolerable Acts, the different colonies formed a Continental Congress to make decisions for all of the colonies.
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Jefferson drafted the Declaration on this portable lap desk, which he designed himself The American people wanted to be treated like British citizens. Many Americans did not like paying taxes to Great Britain when they did not have anyone to speak for them in Parliament. "Plundered our seas." meant that the founding Fathers blamed the British for the American Revolution.ĭuring this time, many American people were angry at Great Britain. This means that the King and Parliament of Great Britain ruled the Colonies. The individual states were colonies of the British Empire. In the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence a quote was: "with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."īefore the Declaration īefore 1776, the United States of America was not a country.
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Instead, the thirteen British colonies came together to become a union of free and independent states. It says that the Americans were no longer under British rule. United States Declaration of Independence is an important document in the history of the United States of America. To announce and explain separation from Great Britain The most important and dramatic statement comes near the end: “That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” It declares a complete break with Britain and its King and claims the powers of an independent country.Thomas Jefferson et al. Join our fight, reads the subtext, and you join humankind’s fight against tyranny. Congress cast “the causes which impel them to separation” in universal terms for an international audience. The list of 27 complaints against King George III constitute the proof of the right to rebellion. The preamble sought to inspire and unite them through the vision of a better life. Separation from the mother country threatened their sense of security, economic stability, and identity.
These are the lines contemporary Americans know best: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.” These stirring words were designed to convince Americans to put their lives on the line for the cause. It needed to motivate foreign allies to join the fight. It had just defied the most powerful nation on Earth. In other words, “to declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” Congress had to prove the legitimacy of its cause. Its goals were to rally the troops, win foreign allies, and to announce the creation of a new country. The introductory sentence states the Declaration’s main purpose, to explain the colonists’ right to revolution. The Declaration of Independence was designed for multiple audiences: the King, the colonists, and the world. Courtesy of Lafayette College Art Collection Easton, Pennsylvania Parts of the statue were reportedly melted down and used for bullets. Enlarge Pulling down the Statue of King George IIIĪfter a public reading of the Declaration of Independence at Bowling Green, on July 9, 1776, New Yorkers pulled down the statue of King George III.
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