On 4 July 1776, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia formally adopted the Declaration of Independence, drafted principally by Thomas Jefferson, declaring the thirteen American colonies free and independent states no longer bound to the British Crown. The declaration set out the colonies' grievances against King George III and grounded the separation in a statement of natural rights and government by consent. It did not itself win the war still being fought, but it committed the colonies publicly and irrevocably to full independence rather than reconciliation, and it became the Revolution's founding document.
Facts
LocationPennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Declaration of Independence, 1776 (National Archives)
U.S. National ArchivesDeclaration of Independence (1776) milestone document, opening paragraphQuote, Declaration of Independence (1776) milestone document, opening paragraph
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it.
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