The Declaration of Independence

by Miss Alyssa

The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. As Americans, the Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in our history. In that document, we first declared our independence from British rule. What caused our founding fathers to perform such a drastic move?

They listed many of the reasons right in the Declaration of Independence. Some of the reasons include:

1. The inability of the Governors to pass laws, even in emergencies, without the king’s assent. The king neglected them and would not give his permission.
2. The king kept the military stationed among the people in times of peace, rendered the military superior to the civil power, and allowed the soldiers to murder without punishment.
3. The king imposed taxes without the people’s consent and cut off their trade with other parts of the world.
4. The king often deprived them of trial by jury and took them beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses.
5. The king took away their charters, abolished their most valuable laws, and altered the forms of their governments. The list goes on. They humbly petitioned for a redress of grievances. In return, they received only injury. Those are just some of the reasons that they felt it was their duty to declare their independence from tyrannical rule.

The stakes were high. Freedom was at stake. The rights of the people were at stake. The future of our country was at stake. The individual future of the people who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence was at stake. Their very lives were in jeopardy because of their stand against injustice. The last words of the Declaration of Independence show that they knew the danger of their actions; it also shows that they relied on God’s providence. "And for the support of this Declaration, with the firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

56 men from all of the 13 colonies met at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia (now called Independence Hall) to debate and eventually sign the Declaration of Independence. A Committee of Five was given the task of drafting a declaration of independence. The five men were: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson did the majority of the writing. The signers of the Declaration came from various professions. Farmer, doctor, minister, judge, merchant, and more. Each of these men have a story and each of their lives is an article-or a book-of its own. To see the full list of signers along with a short biography of each, you can go here. (To USHistory.org)

As American children, we hear the story of the Revolutionary War so many times that it is easy to forget what incredible challenges the thirteen colonies faced. We know the ending. They did not. Now that they had declared their independence, the colonies were going to war against the largest military force in the world at that time. They were going to start a country unlike any other. They had to unite thirteen separate colonies into the United States of America.

On July 8, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud in front of Independence Hall. The bell that is now known as the Liberty Bell rang. People responded enthusiastically. To hear a modern dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence, you can go to Lear Center then scroll down to Dramatic Reading of the Declaration of Independence and click "learn more" (please ask for your parents’ permission first).

Six years of hard fighting would follow. It would be tough but it would be worth it. On October 19, 1781, the British surrendered at Yorktown and we became free. The United States of America were "Free and Independent States" at last!


Miss Alyssa, a 15 year old homeschooler, is interested in writing and film-making for the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom. She is passionate about reaching the unreached with the Gospel. She blogs at One Nation Under GOD.

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