Declaration of Independence

Signing of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is part 12 of “Revisiting the American Revolution History,” my lead up to the Fourth of July celebration. The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, with the assistance of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The document declared the colonist’s independence from Britain, and defined the rights of the American people as independent states. It defined a democratic government, created to serve the people, and that could only act with consent of the people.

On July 2, 1776, the members of the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence. However, it took two days of debate to finalize the words in the document. On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was formally approved by Congress. John Hancock, President of the Congress and Charles Thomson, the secretary, signed the document. July 4, 1776 is officially recognized as the birth of America.