DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, AMERICAN. A document proclaiming the inde pendence of the thirteen English colonies in America, and finally agreed upon by the Continen tal Congress, July 4, 1776. Early in 1776 several delegates in Congress were directed by their con stituencies to vote for independence. Such a vote would be, in some particulars, no more than a recognition of the existing state of affairs, for already there existed in several provinces a com plete independence of England so far as the ad ministrative system was concerned. As a result of advice given by the Continental Congress, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and South Caro lina had early established commonwealth organi zations entirely regardless of any connection with England. This organization of commonwealth governments on a permanent basis was strongly urged by John Adams. largely as a result of \\ hose work the Continental Congress passed the icsolutions of May 10 and 15, 1776, recommend ing to all of the colonies the formation of inde pendent governments. This action was gener ally indorsed; and gradually the various States placed themselves on record as favoring the step which had now indeed become virtually inevi table—the declaration of their absolute inde pendence. On .June 7. 1776, Richard Henry Lee moved in Congress that united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political con nection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to he totally dissolved." This motion was seconded by John Adams. but action thereon was deferred until •nly 1. and the resolution was passed on the following day. Two committees were appointed (on June 10), one to prepare a declaration, and the other to draw up a plan of confederation. On the declaration
committee were Jefferson. Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman. and R. R. Livingston. They re ported June 2S, but action was delayed for sev eral days. When the declaration finally came np for consideration, it was passed unanimously on July 4, by the delegates of twelve colonies, those representing New York not voting, since they had not as yet been authorized to support the move ment for independence. On July 9. however, a New York convention formally pledged that State to support the Declaration. The document was engrossed on parchment in accordance with a resolution passed by Congress on July 19. and on August 2 was signed by the fifty-three mem bers then present. Subsequently .Matthew Thorn ton. Elhridge Gerry, and Thomas McKean also affixed their signatures. The Declaration of Inde pendence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson, and but very slightly changed from his copy. The document itself was assigned for safekeeping to the Department of State upon the organi zation of the National Government: was de posited in the Patent Office in 1841, when that office was a bureau in the Department of State; was returned to the Department of State in 1877 ; and in 1S94. owing to the rapid failing of the text and the deterioration of the parchment. was withdrawn from exhibition and was carefully put away out of the light and air. A facsimile was made in 1S23, by order of John (Miley Adams, then Secretary of State, for the original signers and their families, and it is from a copy struck from the copper plate then made that the reproduction here given was obtained, The text of the Declaration is as follows: