On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to dissolved the connection between "this country" and Great Britain, declaring the "United Colonies of North America" to be free and independent states. Congress ratified the text of the Declaration on July 4, and it reached the King of England six months later. Image courtesy of the National Archives. Declaration of Independence, document approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. On July 2 the Congress had resolved that ‘these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.’ We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. But July 4, 1776 wasn't the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776). In Congress, 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 separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. 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. The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence. The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776. Two days later on July 4, a declaration explaining the reasons for independence, largely written by Thomas Jefferson, was adopted. George Washington received official notification when a letter dated July 6 arrived from John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress, along with a copy of the declaration. Jefferson's original draft was revised and edited by the other men on the committee, and the Declaration was finally put before Congress on 1 July. By then, every colony except New York had authorized its congressional delegates to vote for independence, and on 4 July 1776, the Congress adopted the Declaration. When did American colonies declare independence? On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to approve a Virginiamotion calling for separation from Britain. After about a year of intense fighting, delegates from the 13 colonies (the Continental Congress) met in Philadelphia in July 1776, to pass a resolution that freed their colonies from Britain’s rule. That solemn resolution of July 4th is what is referred to as the Declaration of Independence. Washington: On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that the 13 American colonies were no longer under British rule. The Declaration of Independence, passed on July 4, 1776, reflected widespread dissatisfaction in the 13 North American colonies with increased British control. Colonists especially opposed a series of unpopular laws and taxes enacted by Britain beginning in 1764, including the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the so-called Intolerable Acts. Also on July 5, a copy of the printed version of the approved Declaration was inserted into the "rough journal" of the Continental Congress for July 4. The text was followed by the words "Signed by Order and in Behalf of the Congress, John Hancock, President. On July 4, 1776, representatives from the original 13 American Colonies came together to formally adopt a document that listed all their grievances against the British government and announce their independence from the crown. This document became known as the Declaration of Independence. 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 On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress. The document announced the separation of the 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. The vote actually took place on July 2 and was approved by 12 colonies (with New York abstaining). The definition of the Declaration of Independence for APUSH is a foundational document adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson, it announced the independence of the 13 Original Colonies from British rule. July 4, Independence Day, has been the United States’ chief civic holiday since the American Revolution. The Founders, chief among them General George Washington and the leaders of the Continental Congress, have grown grander in our memory in the intervening time since 1776. Yet they did not rush into immortality. Far from it. By sundown on April 19, 1775, Britain’s appointed Governor of The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Of the thirteen colonies, nine voted in favor of the Declaration, two — Pennsylvania and South Carolina — voted no, Delaware was undecided and New York abstained. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. The Constitution provides the legal and governmental framework for the United States.
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