978-1-4222-3353-5

30

The American Revolution

In the Continental Congress, some delegates remained wary of pro- claiming American independence. But by June, momentum was clearly building toward that end. Congress assigned a five-person committee the task of preparing a document that explained the colonies’ reasons for breaking away from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia wrote the first draft. After editing, Congress voted to approve the final version of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration said that all people have certain rights—such as “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”—that can’t be forfeited or taken away. Governments are set up, with the consent of the people, to secure these rights. If a government violates the rights of the people, the people may get rid of the government and establish a new one. The Declaration proceeded to list the many ways King George III had acted to establish “an absolute Tyranny” over the colonies. And so, the colonies had dis- solved their political ties with Great Britain. They were now the free and independent “united States of America.” Of course, declaring independence was one thing. Securing independence by defeating the world’smost powerful military would be quite anothermatter.

Text-dependent questions 1. Where did the first battles of the Revolutionary War take place? 2. What was the Olive Branch Petition? 3. When, and where, was the Declaration of Independence adopted? Research project Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Pick one of them and write a short biography.