Decleration of Independence

Rafi Jacobs

A.P. American History Report

About two months ago I still thought that the Declaration of Independence was something written a few hundred years ago, and was very famous, but had no real historical value. I just thought it was a nice thing, and after it became famous was adapted as a work of art. And to be honest I didn't

even know what signifagance it had and how much it really did for out country. But after reading the Declaration of Independence, by Carl Becker, I found out what it really meant. In this report I will not only prove that I read the book, but show what affect it had on our country, the independent Unites States of America.

Actually, the decleration wasn't even the officiol act of separation

from Great Britain

. That was done on June 7th, 1776, when Richard Henry Lee, on behalf of the Virginia Delegation made three resolutions, one that declared the United Sttes should be free and independent

states, and there should be no connection between them and Great Britain. It was voted in on July 2nd, 1776. However, on the 10th of June in when they decided they should write a decleration of independence

, and they appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. At first Thomas Jefferson ask John Adams if he could write it. He replied "First, you are a Virginian, ought to be in charge of buissness, next I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular, reason number three, you are a ten times better writer, Mr. Jefferson."

When writing this document, they had to be careful not to do a few things. First, they didn't want this to sound like a rebellion. They tried to make it sound like it was a moral and justified thing to do. The goal was to make this rebellion a justified act. Rebelling against a king is seriose. So they had to be careful. They couldn't just make this against their own king of Britain

, instead they wanted it to be a generelized statement for all kings. Otherwise, no one would pay any attention to it, for its only against one king. What Jefferson had to do was formulate a general