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United States Declaration of Independence

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The United States Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is a joint statement agreed by a group of people representing the interests of the various thirteen Colonies.

Before the United States of America became its own country, it was made up of thirteen Colonies, (later to become the first thirteen U.S. states) that were part of the British Empire.

On July 4, 1776, representatives of the colonies (known as the Continental Congress) declared the colonies to be free and independent states and explained their justifications for doing so. Most of the delegates actually signed the document later: on August 2.

The anniversary of this declaration is now celebrated as Independence Day in the United States.

Thomas Jefferson, the man who authored the Declaration of Independence.

Background[edit | edit source]

During the 1750s and 1760s, relations between Great Britain and thirteen British colonies along the eastern shore of North America became increasingly strained. Fighting broke out in 1775 at Lexington and Concord, marking the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. On January 10, 1776, Thomas Paine published (anonymously) a pamphlet titled Common Sense in which he outlined major problems with the British form of government (a constitutional monarchy) and several reasons the American colonies should separate themselves from Great Britain. Paine's pamphlet both reflected and influenced the growing anti-British sentiment in the colonies.

A painting depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull, which hangs in the grand Rotunda of the Capitol of the United States. It shows is the five-man drafting committee presenting their work and depicts most of the eventual signers as being present on this occasion, but this gathering actually never took place.

Draft and adoption[edit | edit source]

On June 11, 1776, a committee consisting of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut (known as the "Committee of Five"), was formed to draft a formal resolution declaring the colonists' intent. The committee decided that Jefferson — its youngest member and the youngest signer of the final Declaration — would write the first draft of the resolution. After Franklin and Adams made several minor corrections, Jefferson produced another copy. The committee presented this version to the Continental Congress on June 28, 1776.

Independence from Great Britain was declared on July 2, 1776. The full Declaration was rewritten somewhat in general session prior to its adoption by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall). Word of the Declaration reached London the following month, on August 10.

A Dunlap broadside

Distribution and copies[edit | edit source]

After its adoption by Congress on July 4, 1776, a handwritten draft of the Declaration of Independence was signed by the President of Congress, John Hancock, and the secretary to Congress, Charles Thomson. It was sent a few blocks away to the printing shop of John Dunlap, who worked through the night to print 150 to 200 copies, now known as Dunlap broadsides. One of these was sent to George Washington on July 6, who had it read to his troops in New York on July 9. The 25 Dunlap broadsides still known to exist are the oldest surviving copies of the document.

On July 19, 1776, Congress ordered a copy be handwritten for the delegates to sign. This engrossed copy of the Declaration was produced by Timothy Matlack, assistant to the secretary of Congress. Most of the delegates signed it on August 2, 1776, in geographic order of their colonies from north to south, though some delegates were not present and had to sign later. Two delegates never signed at all. As new delegates joined the Congress, they were also allowed to sign. A total of 56 delegates eventually signed.

The first and most famous signature on the engrossed copy was that of John Hancock of Massachusetts, President of the Continental Congress. Two future presidents, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were among the signatories. Edward Rutledge (age 26), was the youngest signer, and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest signer.

In January 1777, Congress decided the Declaration should be more widely distributed. Printer Mary Katherine Goddard was commissioned to print a version containing the text and names of the signatories. Today, these copies are known as the "Goddard broadsides". Nine copies are known to still exist.

In 1823, printer William J. Stone was commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams to create an engraving of the document essentially identical to the original. Stone's copy was made using a wet-ink transfer process, where the surface of the document was moistened, and some of the original ink transferred to the surface of a copper plate which was then etched so that copies could be run off the plate on a press. Because of poor conservation of the 1776 document through the 19th century, Stone's engraving, rather than the original which has largely faded, has become the basis of most modern reproductions.

A handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence signed by the members of the Continental Congress is on display in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It was the first of the three main Charters of Freedom, along with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The room in Independence Hall, Pennsylvania where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed

Text and analysis[edit | edit source]

The text of the Declaration of Independence can be divided into five sections: the introduction, the preamble, the indictment of George III, the denunciation of the British people, and the conclusion. (Note that these five headings are not part of the text of the document.)

Introduction[edit | edit source]

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

In this section, the signers declare their independence from the British and prepare to state why they feel compelled to do so.

Preamble[edit | edit source]

King George III, the British king who was ruling over the 13 colonies when they declared independence.

This section is presented as a syllogism, with one proposition leading to another proposition. From the first proposition (that all men are created equal), a chain of logic is produced that leads to the right and responsibility of revolution when a government becomes destructive of the people's rights.

Indictment[edit | edit source]

For quartering large Bodies of Armed Troops among us:
For cutting off our Trade with all Parts of the World:
For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:

In this section, the signers then list 27 grievances against the British Crown. The grievances are directed personally at the King (as in "He has refused his Assent to Laws..."), although many of them refer to actions taken by the British Parliament or the Royal Governors. Many of the grievances are examples of violations of fundamental English law, such as "imposing taxes on us without our Consent", and "depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury". Many historians maintain that some of the grievances are exaggerated propaganda (such as the "Swarms of Officers" in truth referring to about fifty men ordered to prevent smuggling).

Denunciation[edit | edit source]

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed with the Syng inkstand, which is on display at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

This section is a message to King George III that the 13 colonies are no longer a part of the British Empire and that they do not want to have anything to do with the British.

Conclusion[edit | edit source]

John Hancock's signature is the first, largest and most famous signature on the Declaration of Independence
[New Hampshire:] Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
[Massachusetts:] Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
[Rhode Island:] Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
[Connecticut:] Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
[New York:] William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
[New Jersey:] Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
[Pennsylvania:] Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
[Delaware:] Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
[Maryland:] Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
[Virginia:] George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
[North Carolina:] William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
[South Carolina:] Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
[Georgia:] Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

In this section, the signers assert that (since conditions exist under which people must change their government, and the British have produced such conditions) the colonies must necessarily throw off political ties with the British Crown and become independent states. The conclusion contains, at its core, the Lee Resolution that had been passed on July 2. The signatures have been listed here labeled with the states each group of delegates came from; this is not seen in the original Declaration.

Text on the back of the document[edit | edit source]

Written on the back of the Declaration of Independence were the words "Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776". The text appears on the bottom of the document, upside down. While no one knows for certain who wrote it, it is known that early in its life, the large parchment document (it measures 29¾ inches by 24½ inches) was rolled up for storage. So, it is likely that the notation was added simply as a label.

A facsimile of the original draft with images of the signers around the border

Differences between draft and final versions[edit | edit source]

The Declaration went through three stages from conception to final adoption:

  1. Jefferson's original draft.
  2. Jefferson's draft with revisions from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
  3. The final version, which included changes made by the full Congress.

Jefferson's original draft included a denunciation of the slave trade ("He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither."), which was later edited out by Congress, as was a criticism of the British people and parliament. According to Jefferson:

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