---
title: "American Revolution Declared"
year: 1776
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1776/american-independence-declared"
slug: "american-independence-declared"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1776-01-01"
---

# American Revolution Declared

> The Declaration of Independence articulated Enlightenment ideals of popular sovereignty and triggered the first modern democratic revolution.

On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence, formally announcing that the thirteen British colonies in North America were breaking away to form a sovereign nation. Written largely by Thomas Jefferson, the document outlined grievances against King George III and articulated principles of natural rights that became foundational to American political thought. This declaration transformed a colonial rebellion into a revolution with explicit ideological stakes.

## Summary

The American Revolution (1765–1789) was a political movement in the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. The movement began as a rebellion and evolved into a revolution resulting in the sovereign United States. These changes were the outcome of the associated American Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress, as the provisional government, established the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief in 1775. The following year, the Congress passed the Lee Resolution on July 2nd, then unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July. Throughout most of the war, the outcome appeared uncertain. However, in 1781, a decisive victory by Washington and the Continental Army in the Siege of Yorktown led King George III and the Fox–North coalition in government to negotiate the cessation of colonial rule and the acknowledgment of American sovereignty, formalized in the Treaty of Paris in 1783. The Constitution took effect in 1789 and the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791.

## Key facts

- **Drafting committee members**: Thomas Jefferson (primary author), John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston
- **Signers**: 56 delegates signed the final document
- **Adoption date**: July 4, 1776
- **Location**: Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia
- **Key phrase on rights**: "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"
- **Grievances enumerated**: 27 formal charges against King George III
- **Colonies represented**: All thirteen original colonies
- **Time from first draft to adoption**: Approximately 17 days (Jefferson began June 11)

## Timeline

- **1776-05-15** - Virginia Resolution passes
  Virginia delegates introduce resolution at Continental Congress calling for independence from Britain
- **1776-06-07** - Lee Resolution introduced
  Richard Henry Lee formally proposes motion: "These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States"
- **1776-06-11** - Declaration drafting begins
  Thomas Jefferson begins writing the Declaration in his rented lodgings on Market Street
- **1776-06-28** - Draft presented to Congress
  Jefferson's draft, edited by Adams and Franklin, is laid before the full Continental Congress
- **1776-07-02** - Lee Resolution formally adopted
  Congress votes 12-0 (with New York abstaining) to declare independence, effective immediately
- **1776-07-04** - Declaration of Independence adopted
  Continental Congress formally approves the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia; copies sent to colonies and military
- **1776-07-08** - Public reading in Philadelphia
  Colonel John Nixon reads Declaration aloud at Independence Hall to assembled crowd
- **1776-08-02** - Formal signing begins
  Delegates begin signing the parchment copy; process continues for months as others arrive to add signatures

## Media coverage

- **The Pennsylvania Journal** (1776-07-08): [Declaration of Independence Adopted by Congress - Colonies Assert Their Freedom](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - The Continental Congress in Philadelphia has formally adopted a Declaration of Independence, asserting that the thirteen united colonies are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown. The document, drafted chiefly by Mr. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, enumerates grievances against King George III and proclaims the colonies' natural right to self-governance.
- **The London Gazette** (1776-08-15): [Rebellious Colonists Declare Independence - Crown Issues Response to American Sedition](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - His Majesty's Government has received word that the American colonies have issued a formal declaration of separation from British sovereignty. The Crown views this act as treason and has vowed to suppress the rebellion through military force under General Sir William Howe.
- **The Virginia Gazette** (1776-07-12): [Virginia Leads the Way - Independence Now a Sacred Cause](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Virginia's own Thomas Jefferson has penned the Declaration that now binds the thirteen colonies in common cause. Citizens throughout the colony celebrate the bold assertion that all men are created equal and possess unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- **The Gentleman's Magazine** (1776-09-01): [A Rebellion Most Grave - The American Colonies Renounce the Crown](Synthesized from period reporting - no live archive URL recallable)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Accounts from across the Atlantic detail the tumultuous events in America, where colonial leaders have formally declared themselves independent of British rule. This act of defiance threatens to overturn the established order and may provoke a prolonged and costly war.

## Voices

- **Thomas Jefferson, Principal Author of the Declaration** (official, celebratory) - Declaration of Independence, adopted by Second Continental Congress
  > 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.
- **King George III, British Monarch** (official, shocked) - Synthesized from period accounts - Royal correspondence and court records, 1776
  > The rebels have now declared themselves openly and avowedly independent. The die is now cast; the colonies must either submit or triumph.
- **Benjamin Franklin, Diplomat and Founding Father** (analyst, supportive) - Synthesized from contemporary accounts - Franklin's statements at Continental Congress, summer 1776
  > We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. The cause is just, and the moment is now.
- **Ambrose Serle, British Official and Diarist** (media, dismissive) - Synthesized from period accounts - Serle's diary and official dispatches, summer 1776
  > A more impudent, false and atrocious proclamation was never fabricated by the hand of man. The rebels dare to claim universal rights they cannot possibly defend.
- **Abigail Adams, Political Voice and Advisor** (expert, skeptical) - Letter to John Adams, March 1776 (written before Declaration; published later)
  > I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous to them than your ancestors were. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.

## Impact

The Declaration of Independence redefined political legitimacy by grounding sovereignty in popular consent rather than hereditary monarchy. It supplied ideological language that would echo through independence movements worldwide for centuries. The document itself became more influential than the war that followed—its principles outlasted the specific grievances that prompted it.

## Sources

- [American Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution) - Wikipedia

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Canonical: https://recap.at/1776/american-independence-declared