We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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. On July 4, 1776, the United States officially declared its independence from the British Empire when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was authored by a “Committee of Five”—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Declaration of Independence: A Transcription Note: The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum.) The spelling and punctuation reflects the original. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on display in the Library of Congress prior to the removal to the National Archives, 13 December 1952 The National Archives' Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom where, between two Barry Faulkner murals, the original United States Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and On July 4, 1776, the United States officially declared its independence from the British Empire when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was authored by a “Committee of Five”—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman—with Jefferson as the main drafter. But Jefferson himself later admitted T H E D ECL A R ATIO N OF I ND E P E ND E N CE— 1 77 6 I N CO NG RE S S , JULY 4, 1776 Th e unan i m ous Declarat ion of th e th i rteen un ited States of Am erica Preceding this piece is an erasure of the Declaration of Independence, reworked and recontextualized to speak directly to the racial discriminations of the past and present day. The speaker proclaims: In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, is one of the most significant documents in world history, marking the birth of the United States as a sovereign nation and laying the foundation for modern democratic principles. This seminal text was not only a formal declaration of the American colonies’ desire for independence from THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—1776 from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compli-ance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses re-peatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Arguably the most famous document in U.S. history, the Declaration of Independence was intended as a universal document, its principles applicable at all times and in all places. This formal declaration of independence ends with important words. The words tell us what the signers of the Declaration of Independence were willing to give up for freedom: “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Signatures There are 56 signatures on the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by learning the stories behind different printed and manuscript copies of the Declaration created in 1776 Nearly every printed or manuscript edition of the Declaration of Independence has slight differences in punctuation, capitalization, and even wording. To find out more about the diverse textual tradition of the Declaration, check out our Which Version is This, and Why Does it Matter? resource. roots in the United States Declaration of Independence (1776); a phrase regarded by many as a myth. Its ethos is contained in the following well-crafted sentence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with The Declaration of Independence, 1776. By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. Declaration of Independence, 17761 IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, On July 2, 1776, after months of deliberation and while directing battle in the colonies and Canada, the Second Continental Congress voted to declare the “united States of America” separate and independent from Britain. On July 4, the Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration, written primarily by Thomas Jefferson. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776) The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the
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