Do you know why the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed?

by Barbara Latta

Revolutionary soldiers

We celebrate our Independence Day on July 4, but the Revolutionary War started about a year earlier when shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.

King George of Great Britain denied the citizens of the colonies the basic rights entitled to them as a settlement of the British crown. Each time these disputes were brought to light they were either ignored or punishment was rendered. The colonists put up resistance and fought against such tyranny.

On April 19, 1775, British troops marched into Lexington with the intent of destroying military supplies. Shots were fired and both the British and Militia suffered casualties. As the abuse of power continued from the seat of Britain, the leaders of the colonies met in early June of 1776 in Philadelphia to debate whether to break away from the mother country. Thomas Jefferson was elected to draw up the first draft of their document declaring the reasons for the colonies act of independence.

After much meeting, debating and redrafting, Congress met on July 1 and took up the

Declaration of Independence

resolution to break away from England’s rule. On July 4, twelve of the thirteen state delegations adopted the final draft of the Declaration (New York adopted it on July 9). Only John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, and Charles Thomson, the Congress’s secretary, put their signatures on the document that day. It then went to a printer so copies could be distributed to other states.

On July 8, the Liberty Bell rang out in Philadelphia calling all citizens to gather and hear the reading of the Declaration. George Washington ordered that it be read to his troops in New York City on July 9. All across the land, Americans heard the words of the document and pulled down images of George III and symbols of Britain’s authority.

On July 19, Congress ordered that the Declaration be written on parchment and signed by all its members. On August 2, the copy was ready and the members of Congress who were in Philadelphia that day gathered and signed the document knowing full well they were signing their own death warrants. Delegates who were out of town signed in the following weeks.

On January 18, 1777 it was ordered that new copies be printed showing the names of all the signers. Today that original document is housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

There are 27 violations of  human and governmental rights listed on the Declaration of Independence that were inflicted upon the colonists by King George. Peaceful resolution was tried and failed because of the tyranny of the monarchy. The only choice the colonists had was to become pawns of the British government without any rights or representation, or to rebel against abuse and become independent.

Independence Day celebration

Copies of the Declaration of Independence are widely available. If you don’t have one, I encourage you to find one and read the entire document.

After you read it, post your thoughts in the comments below and share some things you didn’t know about how our freedom was established.

Happy Independence Day and may God bless America!