Crafting the Declaration of Independence: A Historical Overview

On June 11th 1776 the Continental Congress tabbed five men who were given the task to write one of the most important documents in America’s history; The Declaration of Independence. During a time of immense diversity people living in the colonies of what was soon to be The United States of America were yearning for something that could place them under one large umbrella. This committee of five men consisted of John Adams from Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston of New York, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and of course Thomas Jefferson of Virginia. These five men made an impeccable team that together drafted the Declaration of Independence, the document that represents the ground of what American political

But when put into context with the rest of the document an auspicious view of America and its people are created by the reader. The “course of human events,” is most likely meant to imply the American Revolution; and by doing so establish the feeling that the altercation between Britain and America is not a small political disagreement, but rather an important and large event in the history of the modern world. There is no aspect in the entire length of the Declaration of Independence where persuasion is the voice being heard, instead the Declaration did just that; declared. It did not declare in the tone of an interpretation, instead in the tone of observation. In doing this it left no room for controversy over specific

“We, therefore, the Representative of the United States of America, in general congress… appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World… do, in the Name and, by the authority of the good People of these Colonies… That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent States”. Again, no room for misinterpretation is left, and the statement that the colonies are “free and independent states” is exactly that, a statement. But the most important part in the entirety of the document is the last sentence. “…we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” The word placement is exact and generates the most efficient meaning in the sentence. The use of “our” in this instance and all throughout the document creates a connection between the reader, the Declaration, and the idea of freedom.

The confidence that the Declaration of Independent is written with cannot be argued, and the clarity behind each sentence is obvious. Both aid in making it one of the most memorable, meaningful, and strongest pieces of American