Sunday Reading - What is the Declaration of Independence?

What is the Declaration of Independence?

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document that formally announced the American colonies' break from British rule. It laid the philosophical and moral foundation for American democracy, asserting that individuals possess inherent rights and that governments must be accountable to the people (read summary here).

Although Thomas Jefferson is often remembered as the sole author (read initial draft), extensive collaboration shaped the Declaration. Benjamin Franklin and John Adams made small but impactful revisions—including Franklin’s reported suggestion to change “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable” to “self-evident”—before submitting the draft to Congress.

On July 4, 1776, the final text was adopted and sent to printer John Dunlap, who produced an estimated 200 broadsides that night—but that wasn’t the actual day of American independence. Congress had voted for independence two days earlier, on July 2. Most delegates didn’t sign the document until August of that year, after a formal handwritten copy was prepared—the so-called Matlack Declaration, now enshrined at the National Archives (see image here, and read why the ink is so faded here).

... Read our full look at the Declaration here.