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 The Declaration was a formal explanation of why the Continental Congress voted to declare American independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was adopted by the Congress during the American Revolutionary War, which commenced in April 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Declaration of Independence, 17761 IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, 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.’ 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. When was Declaration of Independence signed? While adopted on July 4, 1776, the engrossed Declaration of Independence was primarily signed on August 2, 1776, in Philadelphia. The Declaration was primarily authored by the 33-year-old Jefferson, who wrote it between 11 June and 28 June 1776 on the second floor of the Philadelphia home he was renting, now known as the Declaration House. Drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776 became the defining event in Thomas Jefferson's life. Drawing on documents, such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights, state and local calls for independence, and his own draft of a Virginia constitution, Jefferson wrote a stunning statement of the colonists' right to rebel against the British government and establish their own based on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence Download this Information in PDF Format The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. This guide provides access to digital materials at the Library of Congress, links to related external websites, and a print bibliography. The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was the most significant landmark event in the history of the United States of America. To this day, the document continues to serve as a blueprint for democracies all around the world. The USA Independence Day in 2025, celebrated on July 4th, marks the 249th anniversary of the nation's declaration of independence. It commemorates the Continental Congress's adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Most Common Answer: July 4, 1776 United States Declaration of Independence on a Betsy Ross flag background. As of July 4, 2024, the United States is 248 years old. This date marks the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. Lists containing the names of some of the U.S. Founding Fathers and their respective ages on July 4, 1776, the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted, have circulated online since The United States of America celebrates its' birthday on Independence Day or Fourth of July. So, how old is America this year — 2025? The Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress on Español 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. Preamble to the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the “My dad used to take me into Boston on the Fourth of July, and there was a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House,” Patrick said. 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 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 The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence—written largely by Jefferson—in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence.
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