Declaration of Independence: 5 Things You Should Know

Question: Before 1776, most colonists saw themselves as loyal British subjects. What pushed many of them to break away from Britain?

Answer: Colonists were angry that Parliament taxed them and made laws without giving them a vote. The Declaration listed these complaints to show the world why breaking away was justified.

Question: By 1776, the colonies had been fighting British troops for over a year. Why did Congress bother to write a formal declaration?

Answer: The Declaration was written partly for an audience overseas. By showing the world that the break was justified, the colonies hoped to win support from powerful nations like France, which joined the war in 1778.

Question: A five-man committee picked 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson to write the Declaration over older, more famous members. Why?

Answer: John Adams urged Jefferson to take the job because Jefferson wrote better than anyone else on the committee. Jefferson drafted it in about 17 days, and Congress edited it before approval.

Question: The Declaration lists “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” as rights. Why did Jefferson say no king could remove them?

Answer: Drawing on philosopher John Locke, Jefferson called these rights “unalienable,” meaning they come from nature or God rather than rulers. Governments exist to protect those rights, and when they fail, the people may replace them.

Question: Starting in August 1776, 56 men signed the Declaration. Why was adding their names one of the riskiest things they could do?

Answer: To Britain, the signers were traitors who could be hanged if the war was lost. Benjamin Franklin reportedly joked that they must all hang together, or they would surely hang separately.