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The Declaration of Independence and its Legacy

The signing of the Declaration of Independence of the U.S. on July 4, 1776, was painted by artist Armand-Dumaresq around 1873. The painting was donated by art dealer Sam Salz to President John Kennedy as thanks for the U.S. helping him escape the Nazis when he was growing up in Poland. The painting hangs over the fireplace in the White House Cabinet Room. 

By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff

Radicals and conservatives at the Second Continental Congress

There were two main factions represented at the Congress: the conservatives—headed by John Jay of New York and John Dickinson of Pennsylvania—and the radicals, led by John Adams of Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia.

The conservatives still believed that reconciliation with the British was possible, and on July 5, the Congress authorized the Olive Branch Petition, which represented one final attempt at negotiation and affirmed the colonies’ loyalty to the Crown.

However, the following day, the Congress issued the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which explained and justified the 13 colonies’ decision to go to war. This had the effect of invalidating the Olive Branch Petition, which the British summarily rejected. Though the ideas of conservatives continued to be debated in the Congress, the battles at Lexington and Concord and the subsequent siege of Boston pushed many of the delegates into the radical camp.

Declaring Independence

The moment had finally come. Too much had happened between the colonial leaders and the British crown to consider a return to the past. More and more colonists felt deprived by the British not only of their money and their liberties, but their lives as well. Bloodshed had begun over a year ago in 1775 in the Revolutionary War and there seemed little chance of a ceasefire.  

It was time for a formal break with England and time to declare independence.

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution to the Continental Congress that declared the 13 colonies "free and independent states." Congress did not act on the resolution immediately, but a vote was set for early July. 

In the meantime it seemed appropriate to explain such a bold act. A committee of five, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, was selected to choose the careful wording. Such a document must be persuasive to a great many parties. Americans would read it and might join the patriot cause, while sympathetic Britons would read it and might urge restraint from their king. Foreign powers would read it and aid the colonial military, or they might, that is, if the words were convincing. The five agreed that Jefferson was the best writer, and the others would advise him.

The three sections of the declaration

The declaration is divided into three main parts, with the first a simple statement of intent. Jefferson's words echo down through the years of American life until the present day. Phrases like "all men are created equal" and "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" have come from the lips of Americans of all ages. They are in the first section that outlines the basic principles of the leaders. 

The next section is a list of injustices, the reasons the colonies believed independence was appropriate. King George III was guilty of "repeated injuries" that intended to establish "absolute tyranny" in North America. He had "plundered our seas, burned our towns and destroyed the lives of our people." 

The concluding paragraph officially dissolves ties with Britain. It also shows modern readers the courage of each delegate who signed. They were now officially guilty of treason and would hang from their necks in the gallows if taken before a royal court. 

Debate in the Congress followed, and Jefferson watched painfully as the other delegates tweaked his writing. Finally on July 4, 1776, the colonies approved the document. The vote was 12-0, with the New York delegation abstaining. As president of the Congress, John Hancock scrawled his famous signature across the bottom and history was made. If the American effort was successful, they would be hailed as heroes, and if it failed, they would be hanged as traitors.

The meaning of the declaration

What was the Declaration of Independence? Why do Americans continue to celebrate its announcement as the birthday of the United States, July 4, 1776? While that date might just mean fireworks to some today, what did the declaration mean when it was written in 1776?

For one thing, the declaration was a legal document that announced to the world the reasons that led the 13 colonies to separate from the British Empire.  

The declaration was not only legalistic, but practical too. Americans hoped to get money or military support from other countries that were traditional enemies of the British. However, these practical purposes are not why the declaration is remembered today as an expression of the ideals of the American Revolution.

The declaration's most famous sentence reads, "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."