The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Congress on July 4th 1776. In fact, this Declaration written in particular by Thomas Jefferson, announced that American colonies were no longer a part of the British Empire. It is known as the « Declaration of Philadelphia », since Independence was proclaimed in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania. United States Declaration of Independence seems to be the direct consequence of the tensions between the American colonies and Great Britain. Although the colonies of North America were founded by English pioneers, the thirteen colonies which were expressed by the slogan « No taxation without representation »who weren't represented in United Kingdom Parliament, so American people didn't really accept taxations with for example the Stamp Act of 1765 or the Sugar ct of 1766.
[...] The idea of independence is born. The influences of the Declaration of independence Next to the problem of parliamentary sovereignty, an other major reason of the independence of the colonies is the desire to be treated as an independent nation by foreign powers and received military aids, by France as an example. We can also consider that the independence of recent states like Poland or Holland is a factor of the idea of independence in America. Moreover we can note the influence of the Enlightenment in the text of Declaration, who was such influential during this century and still today. [...]
[...] To conclude, the resolution of independence had been adopted with twelve affirmative votes and one abstention (New York delegation's one). Therefore, the text of Declaration is composed by five sections : the introduction which explained the reasons of the separation with Great Britain, a preamble which offered the philosophical sources of the declaration, the indictment which criticized the King George III, the denunciation which condemns British people to hadn't given aid to the American cause, and a conclusion which declared the American colonies as “free and independent states”: United States of America has been a independent state, country, nation since that moment. [...]
[...] Furthermore the Declaration of Independence proclaimed individual rights and the right of revolution, two Lockean themes. Finally, Thomas Jefferson's direct sources were most probably the preamble of the Constitution of Virginia (some ideas and phrases appear in the Declaration) and the English Bill of Rights of 1689, who had been written to break with the politic of the unjust King James II. II. The Declaration of Independence : the text which had signed the birth of United States The Declaration of Independence, who announced and explained the separation from Great Britain, endured at the beginning oppositions and difficulties between the different American colonies but the final text seems to be a consensus whose consecrated to birth of United States The oppositions between the thirteen American colonies In February 1776, colonists learned of the Prohibitory Act, which established a blockade of American ports and declared American ships to be enemy vessels. [...]
[...] As a conclusion, we can say that the Declaration of Independence of United States influenced in the whole world, especially few years later during the French Revolution. Furthermore, today, July, 4th is still the “Independence Day” in United States. Thanks to the Declaration of Independence, United States is still assimilated in our century to the country of liberty, as Abraham Lincoln used to say in the nineteenth century: the Declaration is about the inalienable rights of “Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness”. [...]
[...] Pennsylvania seemed to be the key of opposition, so may be it was the reason that Philadelphia had been chosen to be the place of the Declaration of Independence. On May 10th Congress passed a resolution, introduced by John Adams, calling to colonies to adopt new government. After that, on May 15th, Congress passed the preamble but several colonies voted against it, and the Maryland delegation walked out in protest. According to John Adams, “this day the Congress has passed the most important Resolution that ever was taken in America”. [...]
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