July 2, 1776, is the day that the Second Continental Congress voted for independence and for two days, delegates debated and edited the Declaration written over a three-week period by Thomas Jefferson. It is generally believed that John Hancock as the President of Congress was the only delegate to sign the Declaration on July 4 th. 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 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. Declaration of Independence, 17761 IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, The Declaration of Independence was drafted by a committee made up of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson, recognized for his ability with words, wrote the first draft; then it was edited by the others, and then edited again by the whole Congress. From his harrowing escape as an eight-year-old fleeing Indian attacks in a canoe, to his insistence on adding his signature to the Declaration of Independence despite arriving months after the initial signing, Thornton demonstrated remarkable resilience throughout his 89 years. Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris New Jersey: 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. Dr. Matthew Thornton was a delegate from the State of New Hampshire to the Continental Congress, and a Signer of the Declaration of Independence (three months after the formal signing in August). Thornton was born in Ireland to James and Elizabeth (Jenkins) Thornton. In 1718 the family immigrated to North America, settling at Brunswick, Maine. When the community was attacked by Native 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 William Thornton was born on 20 May 1759, in Tortola, British Virgin Islands as the son of John Thornton and Mary Hambelton. He died on 28 March 1828, in Washington, District of Columbia, United States, at the age of 68, and was buried in Washington, District of Columbia, United States. 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 The National Archives and Records Administration’s webpage on the Declaration of Independence includes a detailed history of the document and a high resolution version of the most frequently reproduced engraving. Another unique aspect of this park is a former land holding by Col. William Thornton, a brother to Mathew Thornton (last signer of the Declaration of Independence). View the original text of history's most important documents, including the Declaration of Independence 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. It is hard to overstate the significance of the Declaration of Independence. Designed as a measured justification for the severing of ties with Britain, the document has also functioned as a transformative piece of political philosophy. 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. Whipple was present in Congress and voted for independence on July 2, the Declaration of Independence on July 4, and signed the Declaration on August 2. “The memorable day which gave birth to the declaration of independence afforded, in the case of William Whipple,” as a writer observes, “is a striking example of the uncertainty of human Matthew Thornton ' (1714 – June 24, 1803), was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Hampshire. The town of Thornton, New Hampshire is named in his honor, a Londonderry elementary school, and Thorntons Ferry School in Merrimack as well.
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