United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, is a statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress on 4 July 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were now independent states, and thus no longer vassals of the British Empire. 50 of the 56 Declaration signers were freemasons.[3]
History
Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on 4 July, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.
After finalizing the text on 4 July 1776, Congress issued the Declaration of Independence in several forms. It was initially published as a printed broadside that was widely distributed and read to the public. The most famous version of the Declaration, a signed copy that is usually regarded as the Declaration of Independence, is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Although the wording of the Declaration was approved on 4 July, the date of its actual signing is disputed by historians, most accepting a theory that it was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on 2 August 1776, and not in July as is commonly believed.
The sources and interpretation of the Declaration have been the subject of much scholarly inquiry. The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievances against King George III, and by asserting certain natural rights, including a right of revolution. Having served its original purpose in announcing independence, the text of the Declaration was initially ignored after the American Revolution. Its stature grew over the years, particularly the second sentence:
- 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.
See also
External links
Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Declaration of Independence
- Encyclopedia Britannica 1911 Edition: Declaration of Independence
- Encyclopedia.com: Declaration Of Independence
References
- ↑ The Staatsbote was run by Heinrich Miller, who immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1741 and found work at Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette, which would become a key voice for colonial dissent in the run-up to the Revolutionary War. But even if the Staatsbote's broadside wasn't distributed until July 6, on July 5 it became the first paper in the country to report that a final version of Congress' declaration was being printed. Source: German paper in Philadelphia may have been first to publish Declaration of Independence
- ↑ This begs the question, why was there a German translation of the Declaration of Independence published so quickly after the original ratification and publication? The answer lies with the Pennsylvania Germans. Colonial Pennsylvania was the primary destination and new home for the majority of emigrants from German-speaking Europe. Pennsylvania was a religiously tolerant colony which was very favorable to Germans who wanted to worship in peace. Economic opportunity, abundant land, and property rights were other significant factors that brought many Germans to settle in Pennsylvania. Many Germans followed family and friends to Pennsylvania as well, after those already in the colony sent messages of the opportunities in the New World. So by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, there was a significant population of German immigrants and German-speakers living in Pennsylvania. And with such a large number of German-speakers living in Pennsylvania, there was a market for German-language publications. (Source)
- ↑ Alte Pflichten bis Wikileaks – die (R)evolution einer freimaurerischen Idee?
