Declaration of Independence
Intro.


Apr 1775: Fighting breaks out in Lex. & Concord.
Colonies send representatives to Philadelphia, convening the 2nd
continental congress.
 GW, Jefferson, Hancock, Franklin.
 Create the Continental Army
 Washington: Commander in Chief

Col. make another attempt to make peace with Br.
 The attempt failed,
the following summer (1776) the Second
Continental Congress approves the DOI, breaking off all ties with
the mother country.


On June 7, the Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion calling for the colonies'
independence before the Continental Congress when it met at the Pennsylvania State House
(later Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.
The delegates appointed a five-man committee--including Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John
Adams of Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and
Robert R. Livingston of New York-to draft a formal statement justifying the break with Great
Britain. That document would become known as the Declaration of Independence.
Declaration of Independence
Rough Draft of Declaration courtesy of
American Mind Collection
• Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
• It took him two weeks.
• Congress voted to accept it on July 4, 1776.
Five Parts of the Declaration





Preamble
Statement of the right of the people to
control their government
Lists the tyrannical acts of the British King
Lists the efforts of the colonists to avoid
separation
Declares the colonies free and
independent
What is a Preamble?


A preamble is an introductory statement.
The Preamble of the Declaration of
Independence explains why the American
colonists thought it necessary to Break
away from England
Preamble
When in the Course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have
connected them with another…
Statement of Human Rights
We hold these truths to be selfevident, 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.
Statement of Human Rights

Government is formed to protect rights.

Britain no longer protecting colonists’ rights.

People have a right to change the government
when it becomes destructive or is no longer
effective.
Charges Against the King and
Parliament


List of 27 tyrannical acts
Some of the complaints included:




Cutting off trade
Imposing taxes without consent
Depriving colonists of Trial by Jury
Keeping Standing Armies without consent of
legislatures
EFFORTS OF THE COLONIES TO
AVOID SEPARATION



The colonists petitioned the king asking
for changes
The colonists asked the British people for
help
The colonists warned parliament of their
injuries and insult and asked for change
The Colonies Declare Themselves
Free and Independent
 Colonies are united.
 All connections with Great Britain are
dissolved.
 States have power and authority to:
 Declare war
 conclude peace
 contract alliances
 establish commerce (trade)
Signatures





56 men signed the document.
Oldest signer was Benjamin Franklin.(70)
The youngest was Edward Rutledge. (26)
Most famous was John Hancock.
Signers from New Jersey are: Richard Stockton,
John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John
Hart, Abraham Clark
American Memory Collection:
Signing of the Declaration
U.S. Capitol paintings. Signing of the Declaration of Independence, painting by John Trumbull in U.S.
Capitol, detail with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin II.
Declaration Resources

Visit American Memory Collection:
http://memory.loc.gov/

Visit Library of Congress Top Treasures.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/



Visit Signers Fact Sheet courtesy of National
Archives.
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_expe
rience/declaration_signers_gallery.html
The document
that changed a nation.

This is a photo of the original
Declaration.

It is exhibited in the Rotunda in
Washington, DC.

It is extremely faded.

Photo is courtesy of National
Archives.

http://www.archives.gov/natio
nal_archives_experience/declar
ation.html
Chronology of Events
1776





June 7: Congress meeting in Philadelphia, receives Richard Henry
Lee’s resolution urging Congress to declare independence.
June 12-27: Jefferson, at the request of the committee (Adams,
Franklin) drafts a declaration.
July 1-4: Congress debates and revises the DOI.
July 2: Congress declares independence.
July 4: Congress adopts the DOI. John Dunlap prints the DOI,
“Dunlap Broadsides”.
Did you Know?