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Why did the Continental Congress adopt the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776?

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American Revolution *The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis* (at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781), oil on canvas by John Trumbull, completed in 1820; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C. The painting captures the moment when major fighting during the American Revolution ended and the colonies achieved independence.

The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, to formally announce and explain the separation of the 13 North American colonies from Great Britain.12

While the Congress had officially voted for independence two days earlier on July 2, the adoption of the document on the 4th served to codify the reasons for this decision. This action was the culmination of growing dissatisfaction with British control, specifically regarding unpopular laws and taxes such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Intolerable Acts.2345

As hope for reconciliation faded due to British intransigence and the influence of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense, the delegates moved toward independence to secure their rights. The document, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, established the new nation's claims on the basis of natural rights and provided a list of grievances against the crown, marking a definitive break from the British Empire.3