Physical history of the United States Declaration of Independence Physical history of the United States Declaration of Independence The United States Declaration of Independence, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire, exists in a number of drafts, handwritten copies, and published broadsides. The earliest known draft of the Declaration of Independence is a fragment known as the "Composition Draft." The draft, written in July 1776, is in the handwriting of Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration. It was discovered in 1947 by historian Julian P. Boyd in the Jefferson papers at the Library
Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire as a pretext for imperialism. In response, the U.S. imposed an oil embargo on Japan in August 1941 to stop aiding their aggression in Asia and to contain Japanese actions such as their war crimes in Nanking. Japan saw this as a hostile and provocative act, and retaliated with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the declarations of war on the US and the British Empire. Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire The declaration of war by the Empire of Japan on the United States and the British Empire was published on December 8,