History of USA Declaration of Independence (1776) Brief Overview Historical Figures & Qs
To view other notes of American History Click Here.
Brief Overview
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776.
The declaration opens with a preamble describing the document's necessity in explaining why the colonies have overthrown their ruler and chosen to take their place as a separate nation in the world.
All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. In its place, the people should establish a government that is designed to protect those rights. Governments are rarely overthrown, and should not be overthrown for trivial reasons. In this case, a long history of abuses has led the colonists to overthrow a tyrannical government.
The King of Great Britain, George III, is guilty of 27 specific abuses. The King interfered with the colonists' right to self-government and for a fair judicial system. Acting with Parliament, the King also instituted legislation that affected the colonies without their consent. This legislation levied taxes on the colonists. It also required them to quarter British soldiers, removed their right to trial by jury, and prevented them from trading freely. Additionally, the King and Parliament are guilty of outright destruction of American life and property by their refusal to protect the colonies' borders, their confiscation of American ships at sea, and their intent to hire foreign mercenaries to fight against the colonists.
The colonial governments tried to reach a peaceful reconciliation of these differences with Great Britain, but were continually ignored. Colonists who appealed to British citizens were similarly ignored, despite their shared common heritage and their just cause. After many peaceful attempts, the colonists have no choice but to declare independence from Great Britain.
The new nation will be called the United States of America and will have no further connections with Great Britain. The new government will reserve the right to levy war, make peace, make alliances with foreign nations, conduct trade, and do anything else that nations do.
Historical Figures
Colonies
The 13 colonies of British North America included New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. A representative from each colony was sent to the Second Continental Congress in May of 1775 to debate the topic of independence. Although initial disagreement seemed to stall the drive towards independence, by July 2nd, 1776 all 13 colonies committed to fighting in the war for independence.
Thomas Jefferson
A plantation owner and a lawyer, Thomas Jefferson was a delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress. After Richard Henry Lee called for independence in June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson was appointed to a committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson is known as the author of the Declaration of Independence, although his draft was heavily edited by the delegates of the Second Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson continued as an important figure in early American politics by serving as diplomat to France, Secretary of State, and as the third President of the United States.
King of Great Britain
King George III reigned over Great Britain and Ireland from 1760 to 1820. King George III was a descendent of the house of Hanover, a German royal family, but the first of his family to be born and educated as an Englishman. Unlike his predecessors, he aimed to rule strongly over British concerns abroad (such as the colonies) and did so by revoking the policy of salutary neglect that had dominated colonial policy until then. He also attempted to diminish the powers of parliament by frequently appointing new ministers to carry out his policy. This led to political chaos throughout Great Britain, and also contributed to the strict laws imposed on the colonies after 1763.
John Locke
John Locke was an English Philosopher who influenced the thoughts and actions of American leaders in the revolutionary era. The author of Two Treatises of Government (1690), Locke attacked the theory of divine right of kings, arguing that the power of the state rested on the power of the people. Locke believed that governments were formed to protect the natural rights of men, and that overthrowing a government that did not protect these rights was not only a right, but also an obligation. His thoughts influenced many revolutionary pamphlets and documents, including the Virginia Constitution of 1776, and the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, his ideas about checks and balances and the division of church and state were later embodied in the U.S. Constitution.
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in May of 1775 because the First Continental Congress had vowed to meet again if its attempts at peace with Great Britain failed. In April 1775, it became clear that the colonies were already in an undeclared war against Great Britain, evidenced by the Battles at Lexington and Concord. The Second Continental Congress had the dual responsibility of coordinating the ongoing defensive war effort in the colonies and debating the question of independence.
Salutary Neglect
An unwritten though longstanding British policy of letting slide the many British laws meant to maintain the colonies as economically and politically subordinate to England. King George III wanted to more strongly govern the colonies and put an end to salutary neglect.
Study Questions
What caused the increase in parliamentary legislation after the French and Indian War?
King George III differed from the other Hanover monarchs in that he wanted to be a strong ruler over all British territory. During the French and Indian War, George III gained control over the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. He also gained the perfect opportunity to finally control colonial activity. George III did not want his colonies to become rich off their trade with other countries. He believed that the profits of the colonies belonged to the Mother Country. He further believed that the colonists, who reaped the most benefits from the defeat of the French and Indians, should assist in paying war debts. Therefore, he and his ministers passed legislation that was strictly enforced by royal appointees and the British military. This legislation was designed to strictly enforce trade regulations, as well as to tax the colonists. The legislation also made it painfully evident to the colonists that King George III was not interested in allowing them the self-rule and economic freedom they had enjoyed before.
What evidence was there that colonists acted in a unified fashion before the passage of the Declaration of Independence?
Before the French and Indian War, the individual colonies viewed themselves as separate entities only connected by their common heritage and their loyalty to the British King. When the acts of Parliament began to strip individual colonies of their rights and self-rule, other colonies noticed. As soon as the Stamp Act was passed in 1765, colonists began to organize a unified protest. Nine of the 13 colonies met to discuss the Stamp Act and resolved that the colonists, as British citizens, had the same rights as citizens living in England. Furthermore, they established the idea that it was unlawful for Parliament to impose a tax on the colonies, because the colonies had no representation in Parliament. Five years later in 1772, Samuel Adams began the Committees of Correspondence in order to strengthen the idea that an attack on one colony represented an attack on all of the colonies.
After the Intolerable Acts were passed in 1774, 12 of the 13 colonies met to issue a declaration similar in content to the resolution by the Stamp Act Congress. Only this time, they vowed to enact a unified boycott on all British goods. Although the Intolerable Acts targeted the Massachusetts colony, the other colonies felt a strong need to protest this abuse of rights. The precedent set by the First Continental Congress was that the colonies were willing to act together in a more permanent way. They vowed to meet again in May of 1775 if their protest did not lead to peaceful reconciliation. By the meeting of the Second Continental Congress, all 13 colonies were present and acted together to administer a war of defense even before they acted together to declare independence.
Why did the Intolerable Acts have a greater impact on the colonies than earlier tax acts?
The Intolerable Acts not only attacked the economic rights of people in the Massachusetts colony, but also removed their system of self-rule and representative government. The Intolerable Acts closed the port of Boston to imports and exports, appointed a military governor, barred town meetings, and prevented the election of local officials and the selection of jurors. Although colonists viewed earlier tax acts and acts to control trade as unconstitutional, this act actually deprived them of their civil rights. The Magna Carta and British Bill of Rights of 1689 indicate that the King is not above the law, and that certain civil rights are granted to British subjects to ensure that the King does not become to powerful. Among these rights are the right to trial by a jury of one's peers, and the power of taxation resting in the hands of an elected body. Both of these rights were removed with the tax act. The colonists had no form of economic or political defense against the King's absolute rule in Massachusetts.
