The Declaration of Independence

The Second Continental Congress charged Thomas Jefferson with the responsibility of writing a declaration of independence that would be sent to Great Britain.

Thomas Jefferson was a highly educated Virginian, who was known for his ability to write with both clarity and eloquence. On July 4 th, 1776 this declaration was officially adopted by the Continental Congress, and a new nation was born.

The Declaration of Independence stated the belief that a government had a responsibility to the people it governed, and that if they abused their responsibilities, that the people who were ruled had the right to rebel. The declaration then went on to detail many of the abuses that the colonies had endured at the hands of the British Government, and finally to declare that the colonies were now separate sovereign states.