A Declaration...
…By the Representatives of The United States of America
4 July 1776
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on 4 July 1776. This document proclaimed that the 13 American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were politically independent from the British Empire. Great Britain considered this document to be treasonous and sent British forces to the New World to force all 13 colonies to remain loyal to both king and Parliament. The American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) concluded with the colonies winning their political independence and nationhood. Together with the Constitution of 1789, this source is considered to be one of the "founding" documents of the United States because it represents the dominant political theory of the American government.
In writing the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson drew heavily on the natural rights philosophy of John Locke. Indeed, one of the most radical ideas advanced by the declaration was the proposition 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.” This famous sentence has been drawn upon throughout the course of U.S. history to address a host of landmark questions concerning ‘liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘freedom’. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), for example, often alluded to this section of the declaration in arguments for the emancipation of slaves in the United States and the Confederacy during the Civil War (1861-1865). The document has also been used by members of the modern American women’s movement. One of the most famous examples in this instance was the publication of the “Declaration of Sentiments” in 1848. Authored principally by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it rephrased the Declaration of Independence to include both men and women and referred to the rights denied to women by the American political and legal system such as the right to vote and the right to equal citizenship.
The principles of national independence in this declaration has provided inspiration to numerous nations throughout the world. Former Spanish colonies in Latin America, for instance, including Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, have issued similar declarations of independence as part of their resistance to colonial rule. The day on which the Declaration was published – 4 July – is commemorated annually in the United States as ‘Independence Day’.
In writing the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson drew heavily on the natural rights philosophy of John Locke. Indeed, one of the most radical ideas advanced by the declaration was the proposition 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.” This famous sentence has been drawn upon throughout the course of U.S. history to address a host of landmark questions concerning ‘liberty’, ‘equality’ and ‘freedom’. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), for example, often alluded to this section of the declaration in arguments for the emancipation of slaves in the United States and the Confederacy during the Civil War (1861-1865). The document has also been used by members of the modern American women’s movement. One of the most famous examples in this instance was the publication of the “Declaration of Sentiments” in 1848. Authored principally by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it rephrased the Declaration of Independence to include both men and women and referred to the rights denied to women by the American political and legal system such as the right to vote and the right to equal citizenship.
The principles of national independence in this declaration has provided inspiration to numerous nations throughout the world. Former Spanish colonies in Latin America, for instance, including Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico, have issued similar declarations of independence as part of their resistance to colonial rule. The day on which the Declaration was published – 4 July – is commemorated annually in the United States as ‘Independence Day’.