Declaration of Independence

One of the most remarkable documents during the United States independence. It was drafted and voted by Thomas Jefferson in July 2, 1776, and was later signed and approved July 4, 1776. This document basically stated that the thirteen colonies were completely independent from the British Empire. This document is located in the Library of Congress in Washington. 4th of July is now a national holiday, also known as Independence Day.

Thomas Jefferson as many know is the main author of the Declaration of Independence, but he is not the only one who contributed to it. 56 other delegates from the thirteen colonies had to sign the Declaration. When the Declaration was signed, people started to question Parliament and saying it was a set of laws for Great Britain only! The Declaration had a lot of controversial topics, for example it stated that the King was actually a tyrant. Another example was that it stated that "all men are created equal" which makes it a problem because rich men thought slaves were not humans.

As you know, before the Declaration United States and Great Britain were already fighting a war. The Coercive act was given to punish the people of Boston of their actions, like the Boston Tea Party. So the First Continental Congress decided to boycott British goods. The was one of the many responses of the colonists. Later the Second Continental Congress joined and they accepted the Declaration of Independence.