The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a very important thing in our history. Without the Declaration of Independence, we might still be under British rule. So in this article, I’m going to tell you about where it all started, where it ended, and how Georgia is an important factor in the writing and passing of the Declaration of Independence.
So far, I don’t think anyone knows the full Declaration of Independence by heart, at the top of their head. However, the most well-known quote is known by almost everyone, at the top of their head, including me. The quote is: “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.” Now that I mention it, you’ve heard it somewhere too, right?
The Declaration of Independence is made out of three parts: the Preamble, the body- it includes 27 complaints about the king, and the Conclusion. Thomas Jefferson wrote the rough draft of the Declaration. It was edited by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sharman. Most of the edits made didn’t please Jefferson. The Declaration is one fourth the size of Jefferson’s original draft. Ironically, there is a part in the Declaration saying that owning slaves is wrong. Guess who had slaves? Yes, Jefferson himself.
56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. Of these, the representatives of Georgia are Button Gwinnett, Lynman Hall, and George Walton. You see, our county is named after Button Gwinnett. The strange thing is, Robert Livingston, one of the editors of Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft, didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, saying that it was too early for independence from Great Britain.
Curious about how the idea of Independence all started? It all started with a man and a pamphlet. The man was Thomas Paine, and the pamphlet was called “Common Sense”. He used simple words that everybody could understand. The pamphlet questioned how Great Britain was ruling over the colonies: The government and the royal monarchy. He was the first to openly ask for Independence from Britain through literary works in America. “Common Sense” was published in 1776. He then published a follow up pamphlet called “The Crisis”.
The Declaration of Independence actually didn’t get passed on July 4th. It was signed on July 2nd, 1776, in Philadelphia, and then signed by the other members of Congress on August 22nd. It took us so much hardships, work, and effort to gain our freedom. Up until now, our freedom remains the same, if not increasing. The end is yet to come.
Bibliography
http://www.edflowers.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/sgrevolution.268144404.pdf
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-declaration-of-independence/fascinating-facts/
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-founding-fathers/
http://wishfulthinkingworks.com/2012/07/02/the-rockets-red-glare-and-bombs-bursting-in-air/constitution-and-declaration-of-independence-on-grungy-betsy-ros/
The Declaration of Independence is a very important thing in our history. Without the Declaration of Independence, we might still be under British rule. So in this article, I’m going to tell you about where it all started, where it ended, and how Georgia is an important factor in the writing and passing of the Declaration of Independence.
So far, I don’t think anyone knows the full Declaration of Independence by heart, at the top of their head. However, the most well-known quote is known by almost everyone, at the top of their head, including me. The quote is: “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.” Now that I mention it, you’ve heard it somewhere too, right?
The Declaration of Independence is made out of three parts: the Preamble, the body- it includes 27 complaints about the king, and the Conclusion. Thomas Jefferson wrote the rough draft of the Declaration. It was edited by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sharman. Most of the edits made didn’t please Jefferson. The Declaration is one fourth the size of Jefferson’s original draft. Ironically, there is a part in the Declaration saying that owning slaves is wrong. Guess who had slaves? Yes, Jefferson himself.
56 men signed the Declaration of Independence. Of these, the representatives of Georgia are Button Gwinnett, Lynman Hall, and George Walton. You see, our county is named after Button Gwinnett. The strange thing is, Robert Livingston, one of the editors of Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft, didn’t sign the Declaration of Independence, saying that it was too early for independence from Great Britain.
Curious about how the idea of Independence all started? It all started with a man and a pamphlet. The man was Thomas Paine, and the pamphlet was called “Common Sense”. He used simple words that everybody could understand. The pamphlet questioned how Great Britain was ruling over the colonies: The government and the royal monarchy. He was the first to openly ask for Independence from Britain through literary works in America. “Common Sense” was published in 1776. He then published a follow up pamphlet called “The Crisis”.
The Declaration of Independence actually didn’t get passed on July 4th. It was signed on July 2nd, 1776, in Philadelphia, and then signed by the other members of Congress on August 22nd. It took us so much hardships, work, and effort to gain our freedom. Up until now, our freedom remains the same, if not increasing. The end is yet to come.
Bibliography
http://www.edflowers.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/sgrevolution.268144404.pdf
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-declaration-of-independence/fascinating-facts/
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-founding-fathers/
http://wishfulthinkingworks.com/2012/07/02/the-rockets-red-glare-and-bombs-bursting-in-air/constitution-and-declaration-of-independence-on-grungy-betsy-ros/