United States Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
The Declaration of Independence of the United States was made by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The
separation from the colonies and the establishment of the United States of America as an independent nation was announced.
The Proclamation was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, with input from a committee of
five, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman Jefferson's draft was then edited by the Continental Congress and
the final version was unanimously adopted on July 4, 1776.The declaration explained the colonists' motivations for seeking independence.
Grievances against the British Crown were cited and the right of the colonies to self-governance and the rights of Englishmen to be independent under the principles of law were declared
The Declaration was first read publicly on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia, Trenton, and Easton It was then printed and widely distributed throughout the Thirteen Colonies.
August 2, 1776, 56 delegates to the Continental Congress signed a copy of the Declaration and
The
Declaration of Independence has become one of the most influential and widely circulated documents in world history,