Born on April 13, 1743, near present-day Charlottesville, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson was the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. Journal Editorial Report: The week’s best and worst from Kim Strassel, Allysia Finley and Dan Henninger. The countdown to next year’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence Learn about the summary, facts, and text of the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. Find out who drafted, edited, and signed the document that declared the colonies free and independent states. When asked, “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?” the short answer is Thomas Jefferson. At just 33 years old, Jefferson was chosen by the Second Continental Congress to draft the document. Despite his youth, Jefferson had already earned a reputation as a skilled writer and a deep thinker. During this period the "Committee of Five" (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson) drafted the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson drafted it, Adams and Franklin made changes to it. Congress reconvened on July 1, 1776. 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. Learn about the founding document of the United States, adopted by the Second Continental Congress in 1776, that announced and explained separation from Great Britain. Find out who wrote the Declaration, how it was distributed, and what it influenced. 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. 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. The condition of the parchment Declaration of Independence is a sign of the place it has held in the hearts of many Americans. Years of public display have faded and worn this treasured document. Today it is maintained under the most exacting archival conditions possible. Declaration of Independence, in U.S. history, document that was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. Learn about the document that declared America's independence from Britain in 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Continental Congress. Find out the background, the process and the significance of the Declaration of Independence. After two days of editing and debate, the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, even as a large British fleet and more than 34,000 troops prepared to invade New York. Declaration of Independence - Founding Document, US History, Revolutionary War: The Declaration of Independence was written largely by Jefferson, who had displayed talent as a political philosopher and polemicist in his A Summary View of the Rights of British America, published in 1774. At the request of his fellow committee members he wrote the first draft. The members of the committee made a Learn about the document that declared the separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain in 1776, written by Thomas Jefferson and influenced by Enlightenment ideals. Find out the historical context, the text, and the significance of the Declaration of Independence for human rights and US history. Congressmen voted for independence on July 2, 1776, then spent two days editing Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the text. They officially declared independence on July 4. In August they signed a carefully lettered parchment copy that today is housed in the National Archives. The Revolution Begins In the early 1770s, more and more colonists became convinced that Parliament intended to take away their freedom. In fact, the Americans saw a pattern of increasing oppression and corruption happening all around the world. Parliament was determined to bring its unruly American subjects to heel. Britain began to prepare for war in early 1775. The first fighting broke out EnlargeDownload Link Citation: Engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence, August 2, 1776; Miscellaneous Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, Record Group 360; National Archives. Declaration of Independence, printed by John Dunlap, July 4, 1776, Records of the Continental and Learn how Thomas Jefferson became the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, a document that expressed the American colonists' grievances against Britain and their vision of self-government. Explore the historical context, the drafting process, and the legacy of the Declaration. 13a. The Declaration of Independence and Its Legacy "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 the opinions of mankind requires that
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