The Declaration of Independence - A Summary

Background

• Date of Resolution: May 10, 1776.
• Location: Philadelphia, Congress of United Colonies.
• Purpose: To recommend the establishment of governments independent of British rule and to prepare a declaration of independence.

Key Events Leading to Independence

• May 15, 1776: Suppression of British authority was declared.
• June 7, 1776: Resolutions on independence were introduced.
• June 10, 1776: A committee was established to draft a declaration declaring the colonies free.
• Committee Members: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston.
• June 11, 1776: Committees formed for drafting confederation and foreign treaties.
• June 12, 1776: Establishment of a Board of War and Ordnance.
• June 25, 1776: Pennsylvania deputies supported declaring independence.
• June 28, 1776: Draft of the Declaration of Independence presented.
• July 1, 1776: Maryland authorized its deputies to support the declaration.
• July 2, 1776: Resolution declaring the colonies as independent states adopted.
• July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence was agreed upon, signed by John Hancock, and distributed.
• August 2, 1776: Document signed by 56 delegates, including later signatory Matthew Thornton.

The Declaration of Independence

• Core Ideals:
  • Assertion of equality and unalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  • Right of the people to alter or abolish destructive governments.
  • Emphasis on prudence and justifications for change.
• Grievances Against King George III:
  • Refusal to assent to laws.
  • Obstruction of justice.
  • Imposition of taxes without consent.
  • Denial of legislative representation.
  • Maintenance of standing armies in peacetime.
  • Transport of colonists overseas for trial.
  • Various other acts leading to tyranny and oppression.
• Declaration of Sovereignty:
  • Colonies declared as Free and Independent States.
  • Dissolution of political connections with Britain.
  • Assertion of rights to levy war, conclude peace, and establish trade.

Signatories

• New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, Matthew Thornton, William Whipple.
• Massachusetts: Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry.
• Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery.
• Connecticut: Roger Sherman, William Williams, Samuel Huntington, Oliver Wolcott.
• New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris.
• New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark.
• Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross.
• Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean.
• Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
• Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton.
• North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn.
• South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward Jr., Thomas Lynch Jr., Arthur Middleton.
• Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton.

Notes on the Document

• Verification: Checked by Mr. Ferdinand Jefferson against the original and facsimile.
• Publication Variations: Paragraph arrangement based on John Dunlap's newspaper publication.