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The American Revolution
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In the Continental Congress, some delegates remained wary of pro-
claiming American independence. But by June, momentum was clearly
building toward that end. Congress assigned a five-person committee
the task of preparing a document that explained the colonies’ reasons for
breaking away from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote
the first draft. After editing, Congress voted to approve the final version
of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration said that all people have certain rights—such as “Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”—that can’t be forfeited or taken
away. Governments are set up, with the consent of the people, to secure
these rights. If a government violates the rights of the people, the people
may get rid of the government and establish a new one. The Declaration
proceeded to list the many ways King George III had acted to establish
“an absolute Tyranny” over the colonies. And so, the colonies had dis-
solved their political ties with Great Britain. They were now the free and
independent “united States of America.”
Of course, declaring independence was one thing. Securing independence
by defeating the world’smost powerful military would be quite anothermatter.
Text-dependent questions
1. Where did the first battles of the Revolutionary War
take place?
2. What was the Olive Branch Petition?
3. When, and where, was the Declaration of Independence
adopted?
Research project
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence.
Pick one of them and write a short biography.
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