What is the purpose of government declaration of independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule.

People in the colonies were unhappy that they did not have a say in their government and still had to pay taxes. The Stamp Act of 1765 collected taxes on paper goods like legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards. In one act of protest, men dumped the cargo of a ship full of British tea into Boston Harbor in 1773; this is now called the Boston Tea Party. In 1775, the colonists went to war with Great Britain.

The war between the colonies and Great Britain was called the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). A group of men came together in the summer of 1776 to find ways to become independent from Great Britain. The committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman.

Writing the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was originally written by Thomas Jefferson. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Jefferson then worked together to make changes to the document. The final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, but the actual signing of the final document was on August 2, 1776.

Writing and signing the Declaration of Independence took courage, but it was an important step in the founding of our Government. A famous phrase from the Declaration is “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.”

Declaration of Independence facts and figures:

• John Hancock was the first to sign. His signature was so large and bold that people use ‘John Hancock’ to mean a signature.
• The Declaration of Independence is on public display in the Rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, DC.

To learn more, see The Charters of Freedom and 100 Milestone Documents sites from the National Archives.

The main purpose of America's Declaration of Independence was to explain to foreign nations why the colonies had chosen to separate themselves from Great Britain. The Revolutionary War had already begun, and several major battles had already taken place. The American colonies had already cut most major ties to England and had established their own congress, currency, army, and post office. On June 7, 1776, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Richard Henry Lee voiced a resolution that the United States should be completely free of England's influence, and that all political ties between the two countries should be dissolved. Congress agreed and began plans to publish a formal declaration of independence and appointed a committee of five members to draft the declaration.

Thomas Jefferson was chosen to draft the letter, which he did in a single day. Four other members — Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams were part of the committee to help Jefferson. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson explained that a body of people has a right to change governments if that government becomes oppressive (unfair and controlling). He further explained that governments fail when they no longer have the consent of the governed. Since Parliament clearly lacked the consent of the American colonists to govern them, it was no longer legitimate.

The Declaration was presented to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1776. It was approved with a few minor changes. Of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, of Massachusetts, was the first.

The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It was the last of a series of steps that led the colonies to final separation from Great Britain.

At the time that the American Revolution began in April 1775 most colonists were not seeking independence. Most of them wanted only a larger measure of self-government within the British Empire. But as the war continued, many colonists began to favor freedom from British rule.

Britain sent more troops and ships. More colonists died in skirmishes and battles. The war brought economic disruptions as well.

In January 1776 Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense. It pointed out how the colonists were being mistreated by the king. Many copies of the pamphlet were sold, and support for independence grew.

The colonists hoped to receive aid from France, a longtime enemy of Britain. To do so, the colonists would have to make a formal break from their mother country. The Declaration helped in the process.

On June 7 Richard Henry Lee, a Virginian, asked the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to consider declaring independence from Great Britain.

In writing the declaration, Jefferson drew heavily on the political theories that English philosopher John Locke had outlined in his book On Civil Government.

Jefferson began the document by proclaiming a set of natural rights held by all and the responsibility of the government to protect those rights. He then cited specific ways in which King George III had violated the colonists’ rights, which formed their justification for seeking independence.

The Declaration of Independence states three basic ideas: (1) God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; (2) the main business of government is to protect these rights; (3) if a government tries to withhold these rights, the people are free to revolt and to set up a new government.

The Americans leveled charges specifically against the person of the king. They argued that George III had no real power over the American colonies. By taking a stand against the tyranny of the king, the Americans sought to gain the sympathy of the British people.

The colonists also argued that they had no representation in Parliament, and therefore Britain should not tax them. The colonists believed they could make their own laws and defend themselves.

On July 2 the Continental Congress accepted the idea of independence. It then debated the content of the Declaration over the next two days. On July 4 the Declaration of Independence was accepted by the representatives of 12 states. The New York delegation accepted it 11 days later.

Every signer of the Declaration took a significant risk. If the colonies had lost the war, then the British might have used the signatures as evidence of treason.

The Declaration did not establish the independence of the American colonies. Complete separation from Britain would have to be accomplished by force. Once the Declaration had been adopted, however, there was no turning back.

The Declaration was published in newspapers and read aloud to crowds in towns throughout the colonies.

The day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted has always been celebrated in the United States as a great national holiday—the Fourth of July, or Independence Day.

The Declaration of Independence has also been a source of inspiration outside the United States. It encouraged Antonio de Nariño and Francisco de Miranda to strive toward overthrowing the Spanish empire in South America, and it was quoted with enthusiasm by the marquis de Mirabeau during the French Revolution.