The DECLARATION of INDEPENDENCE

The beginning of the United States

The First and Second Continental Congresses were not able to settle the colonies' differences with Britain, and did not seem to be able to stop the oncoming war. It was a war most of them did not want, but seemed to be increasingly inevitable.

On June 10, 1776, fearing the worst, a committee was chosen to write a summary explaining their reasons if they were to break away from England - a declaration of their independence. Five men were chosen to write the document - John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. They chose Jefferson to write a "first draft". After two weeks work, Jefferson's "first draft" was approved by the rest of the committee - except Livingston, who decided he did not want to be a part of this any more, and went home.

Knowing that voting for independence ensured a war and could mean their own death for treason, many of the men had a difficult decision to make. The Congress debated Jefferson's document, arguing over every item that anyone questioned. The biggest problem was Jefferson's denounciation of slavery. South Carolina and Georgia resolved to vote against it if the slavery part remained, so in order to keep all the colonies united it was withdrawn.

Finally, on July 2, 1776, all of the states voted for the Declaration - except New York. Though they were divided on the issue at the time, they later agreed to it. John Adams wrote that the second day of July would forever be celebrated across the nation. We celebrate, however, the fourth of July, as that is when the Declaration was approved in its final form.

The Declaration of Independence was important not just as a statement of independence, but also as a list of grievances telling the world why this action was necessary. The first paragraph attempts to explain the very basis of life that those in the colonies beleived in. Such ideas as - everyone is equal, we are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that governments are created to protect those rights - still form the basic beliefs of today's American. These ideas, in fact, can be traced back as far as the Ancient Greeks, and Jefferson was inspired by the writings of Britain's own John Locke. Jefferson put these ideas together in such language as to make them both forceful and beautiful, a fitting document to begin a country. It was one of the things he was most proud of.