On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence. Two days later, it ratified the text of the Declaration. John Dunlap, official printer to Congress, worked through the night to set the Declaration in type and print approximately 200 copies. The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States of America. Adopted by Congress on 4 July 1776, it explains why the United States decided to claim independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was designed for multiple audiences: the King, the colonists, and the world. It was also designed to multitask. Its goals were to rally the troops, win foreign allies, and to announce the creation of a new country. The introductory sentence states the Declaration’s main purpose, to explain the colonists’ right to revolution. In other words, “to declare the What did the Declaration of Independence do? The Declaration of Independence announced the United States' independence from Britain. The colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It said the British government did not respect the rights of the colonists. It said that a good government must protect the rights of the people. July 8, 1776 Colonel John Nixon reads the Declaration of Independence to a crowd on the State House Yard (now known as Independence Square). This is the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. July 19, 1776 Congress orders the Declaration engrossed for signatures. On the evening of July 9, 1776, thousands of Continental soldiers marched to the parade grounds in Lower Manhattan. General Washington had ordered them to assemble promptly at six o'clock to hear a declaration approved by the Continental Congress calling for American independence from Great Britain. List of key facts related to the Declaration of Independence. This document, approved on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress, announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. The American Revolution had gradually convinced the colonists that separation from Britain was essential. 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. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it. The Declaration of Independence The Want, Will, and Hopes of the People Declaration text | Rough Draft | Congress's Draft | Compare | Dunlap Broadside | Image | Scan Welcome to ushistory.org's Declaration of Independence website, providing a wealth of information about the Declaration, biographies of all the signers, lesson plans for introducing students to the colonial and revolutionary eras of American history, and much more. Where is the original Declaration? The original Declaration is now exhibited in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The authors of the Declaration of Independence, Which Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence?, The Declaration of Independence and more. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred at high noon on July 8, 1776, in the Old State House yard in Philadelphia (what is now Independence Hall). So begins the Declaration of Independence. But what was the Declaration? He described the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as "these fragile objects which bear so great a weight of meaning to our people." The story of the Declaration of Independence as a document can only be a part of the larger history, a history still unfolding, a "weight of meaning" constantly, challenged, strengthened, and redefined. 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. The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence. 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. 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. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote a list of complaints the colonists had against the King of England. Jefferson ended the Declaration with the statement that the colonies are, and should be, free and independent states. The Second Continental Congress voted to accept the Declaration on July 4, 1776. Learn and Practice for the U.S. Naturalization Test. From the National Museum of American History and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
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