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This image of the Declaration of Independence (1776) was taken from an engraving made by printer William J. Stone in 1823.
National Archives, Washington, D.C.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.
Richard Henry LeeNational Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Duncan Lee and his son Gavin Dunbar Lee (object no. NPG.74.5)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.
(From left) Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson discuss a draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, in a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, from about 1932.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 3g09904u)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.
In an 1826 painting by John Trumbull entitled Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson (standing at the table) is shown presenting the Declaration to John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress.
Yale University Art GalleryOn 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 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.
