U.S. Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is document signed by members of the second continental congress in 1776 who were meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This document formally "dissolved the connection" [1] between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain.
The "Declaration Committee," which included Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and John Adams of Massachusetts, was appointed by Congress on June 11, 1776, to draft a declaration in anticipation of an expected vote in favor of American independence, which occurred on July 2. [2]
Its primary authorship is credited to Thomas Jefferson, and early versions of the manuscript exist dating to June 1776.[3]
Signers
There are 56 signatures on the declaration of independence [4]
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
- New York
- New Jersey
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
References
- ↑ Washington Response. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
- ↑ Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
- ↑ Transcription of the Fragment of the Composition Draft of the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
- ↑ Signers of the Declaration. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.