Declaration of Independence Key Facts

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The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The document announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It was the last of a series of steps that led the colonies to final separation from Great Britain.

At the time that the American Revolution began in April 1775 most colonists were not seeking independence. Most of them wanted only a larger measure of self-government within the British Empire. But as the war continued, many colonists began to favor freedom from British rule.

Britain sent more troops and ships. More colonists died in skirmishes and battles. The war brought economic disruptions as well.

In January 1776 Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense. It pointed out how the colonists were being mistreated by the king. Many copies of the pamphlet were sold, and support for independence grew.

The colonists hoped to receive aid from France, a longtime enemy of Britain. To do so, the colonists would have to make a formal break from their mother country. The Declaration helped in the process.

On June 7 Richard Henry Lee, a Virginian, asked the Continental Congress in Philadelphia to consider declaring independence from Great Britain.

The Congress appointed a committee of five to write the formal declaration. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft. A few changes were suggested by other members of the committee: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.

In writing the declaration, Jefferson drew heavily on the political theories that English philosopher John Locke had outlined in his book On Civil Government.

Jefferson began the document by proclaiming a set of natural rights held by all and the responsibility of the government to protect those rights. He then cited specific ways in which King George III had violated the colonists’ rights, which formed their justification for seeking independence.

The Declaration of Independence states three basic ideas: (1) God made all men equal and gave them the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; (2) the main business of government is to protect these rights; (3) if a government tries to withhold these rights, the people are free to revolt and to set up a new government.

The Americans leveled charges specifically against the person of the king. They argued that George III had no real power over the American colonies. By taking a stand against the tyranny of the king, the Americans sought to gain the sympathy of the British people.

The colonists also argued that they had no representation in Parliament, and therefore Britain should not tax them. The colonists believed they could make their own laws and defend themselves.

On July 2 the Continental Congress accepted the idea of independence. It then debated the content of the Declaration over the next two days. On July 4 the Declaration of Independence was accepted by the representatives of 12 states. The New York delegation accepted it 11 days later.

Every signer of the Declaration took a significant risk. If the colonies had lost the war, then the British might have used the signatures as evidence of treason.

The Declaration did not establish the independence of the American colonies. Complete separation from Britain would have to be accomplished by force. Once the Declaration had been adopted, however, there was no turning back.

The Declaration was published in newspapers and read aloud to crowds in towns throughout the colonies.

The day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted has always been celebrated in the United States as a great national holiday—the Fourth of July, or Independence Day.

The Declaration of Independence has also been a source of inspiration outside the United States. It encouraged Antonio de Nariño and Francisco de Miranda to strive toward overthrowing the Spanish empire in South America, and it was quoted with enthusiasm by the marquis de Mirabeau during the French Revolution.