The Declaration of Independence eloquently expressed the colonies' reasons for rejecting British rule. Its stirring opening paragraphs stated that the people of every country have the right to change or overthrow any government that violates their essential rights. The remainder listed ways the British government had violated American rights. The ideas expressed so majestically in the Declaration have long inspired the pursuit of freedom and self-government throughout the world.

Events leading to the Declaration. During the 10-year period prior to the adoption of the Declaration, American leaders repeatedly challenged the British Parliament's right to tax the colonies. Three efforts by Parliament to raise taxes provoked heated protest from the colonists. These efforts were the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Acts of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773.

The Stamp Act required colonists to pay for tax stamps placed on newspapers, playing cards, diplomas, and various legal documents. Colonial resistance forced Parliament to repeal the act in 1766. The Townshend Acts placed duties (taxes) on imported goods. The colonists reacted by boycotting British goods, which hurt British businesses. In 1770, Parliament removed the duties on all items except tea. The Tea Act made British tea cheaper than tea the colonists had been smuggling into the colonies. The British hoped the colonists would purchase the British tea at the lower price, and thereby acknowledge Britain's right to tax them. But the residents of Boston defied the act by dumping hundreds of pounds of British tea into Boston Harbor. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party .

In 1774, Parliament responded to the Boston Tea Party by adopting laws that closed the port of Boston and gave the British-appointed governor of Massachusetts more power. In addition, the laws allowed British officials accused of crimes against Americans to be returned to Britain for trial. Angry colonists referred to these laws as the Intolerable Acts or the Coercive Acts.

The Continental Congress. The Intolerable Acts alarmed the colonists. On Sept. 5, 1774, the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to plan common measures of resistance. All the colonies except Georgia sent representatives to the Congress. The delegates supported the view held by most colonists—that they could not be ruled by a Parliament in which they were not represented. The most Parliament could do, the delegates suggested, was pass laws regulating the trade of the British Empire. Most colonists still wanted to remain members of the empire, but they felt they owed allegiance only to the British Crown and not to Parliament. The delegates to the First Continental Congress hoped Britain's King George IIIand his ministers would free the colonies from the Intolerable Acts.

In 1775, most colonists still did not favor declaring themselves independent of the British Crown. Such a declaration would cut the last bond linking the colonies to Britain. The delegates to the Second Continental Congress, which assembled on May 10, 1775, continued to hope the king would help resolve the colonists' differences with Parliament. In July, the colonists sent a final petition to Britain declaring their loyalty to the king and asking him to address their complaints. But the king ignored their request and declared the colonies to be in rebellion.

Meanwhile, the American Revolution had begun in April 1775, when British troops clashed with colonial militia at Lexington, Massachusetts, and nearby Concord. In January 1776, the political writer Thomas Paine published Common Sense . This electrifying pamphlet attacked the concept of monarchy and made a powerful case for the independence of the American Colonies.

As the fighting intensified, hopes of reconciliation with Britain faded. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution to the Second Continental Congress stating that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States ..." After several days of debate, the Congress appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee gave the task to Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, who completed the work in about two weeks. Two other members, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Adams of Massachusetts, made a few minor changes.

Adoption of the Declaration. On July 2, the Congress approved the Lee resolution. The delegates then began to debate Jefferson's draft. A few passages, including one condemning King George for encouraging the slave trade, were removed. Most other changes dealt with style. On July 4, the Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration was signed by John Hancock as president of the Second Continental Congress and by Charles Thomson , the Congress's secretary. It was promptly printed and read to a large crowd in the State House yard on July 8. On July 19, the Congress ordered the Declaration to be engrossed (written in stylish script) on parchment. It also ordered that all its members sign the engrossed copy. Eventually, 56 members signed. 

The importance of the Declaration goes far beyond the reasons it provided for abolishing the colonies' allegiance to King George III. Drawing upon the writings of the English philosopher John Locke and other English thinkers, it states two universal principles that have been important to developing democracies ever since. The first principle is that governments exist for the benefit of the people and not their rulers, and that when a government turns to tyranny (unjust use of power), the people of that country have a right to resist and overturn the government. The second principle, that "all men are created equal," has served as a powerful reminder that all members of a society are entitled to the full protection of the law and to the right to participate in public affairs.

The original parchment copy of the Declaration is housed in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C. It is displayed with two other historic American documents—the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence can be divided into four parts: (1) The Preamble; (2) A Declaration of Rights; (3) A Bill of Indictment; and (4) A Statement of Independence. The text of the Declaration is shown below. It follows the spelling and punctuation of the parchment copy. But unlike the parchment copy, each paragraph begins on a new line. The notes following each paragraph are not part of the Declaration. They explain the meaning of various passages or give examples of injustices that a passage mentions.

In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

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Zietlow, Rebecca E. "Declaration of Independence." World Book Student, World Book, 2022,

www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar151520. Accessed 1 Nov. 2022.

Born into a wealthy family, Charles Carroll became a member of the Continental Congress as the American Revolution loomed. Carroll missed the vote on independence but signed the final draft of the Declaration on Independence, becoming the only Catholic to do so. He was a member of the Maryland state Senate and the U.S. Senate (concurrently), finally retiring to private life in 1800. Before his death in 1832, he was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Because he was a Catholic, Carroll was not allowed to participate in politics, practice law (despite years of study) or vote, but he became known in important circles in a roundabout way by writing various anti-tax/tariff tracts (essentially, early protestations against "taxation without representation") in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym "First Citizen."

With the Revolution gearing up, in 1774 Carroll found himself approached by Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase to help gain the support of the Canadian government for their cause. Carried out by all three men, the eventual mission was not a success, but two years later Carroll was appointed to the Continental Congress, where he was an influential member of the Board of War and an early advocate for armed resistance and the ultimate severing of governmental ties with England. (He was nominated again in 1780 but decided not to accept the post.

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Citation Information

Article Title

Charles Carroll Biography

Author

Biography.com Editors

Website Name

The Biography.com website

URL

Access Date

October 28, 2018

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 2, 2014

Original Published Date

April 2, 2014

  

    Britain enforced things like The Stamp Act, and the Townshend Act. Colonist were forced to pay for things like stamps and playing cards due to the Stamp Act.  In 1776 the Parliament decided to remove  the Stamp Act. Although it was removed, Colonist were still not happy. In 1776 , the British Parliament put into place the Townshend  Act, which placed taxes on imported goods. According to Mrs.Tom, “The colonists reacted by boycotting British goods, which hurt British businesses.” Eventually the Parliament lifted the Townshend act, but left taxes on one thing, tea. Tea was very import stuff to the colonist! The colonist had been smuggling tea into the colonies, which wasn’t cheap. Britain was hoping that by selling the British tea at a lower price than the tea the colonist were getting, that the colonist would recognize that Britain had the power and the right  to tax the colonist. “But the residents of Boston defied the act by dumping hundreds of tea into Boston Harbor.” (Mrs.Tom) This is what has become known as the Boston Tea Party. Britain was not very happy about this, and decided to put into place laws that would close the port of Boston. This was also seen as an opportunity for the governor of Massachusetts to gain power. These laws allowed any British official to be returned to England for trial. This all led to the colonist  having enough of British rule, and decelerating independence.Without this, America would never have gained independence  and we wouldn’t have the freedom we do.