DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE

 


Thomas Jefferson presenting the Declaration of Independence to John Honcock, the President of the Continental Congress on 4th July 1776

The Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776, by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, is a foundational document of America. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it announced the 13 American colonies' separation from British rule. The document articulates the principles of individual liberty, government by consent, and the right to revolution, rooted in Enlightenment ideals. The preamble states that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. It asserts that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, the right to self-governance. It was influenced by John Locke’s ideas of natural rights and social contract theory. It excluded the slaves and women. Men are not created but evolved with certain mutable characters. Rights are not given but achieved.

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