Declaration of Independence

At the outset of the Second Continental Congress, which began May 1775, in Philadelphia, not all the delegates--and not all the colonists--were in favor of declaring independence from Great Britain. Indeed, even the delegates in favor of severing ties with the mother country were wary of doing it to hastily, thus isolating and displeasing the colonist public. While the Congress continued flip-flopping on this issue, two important pushes toward independence occurred. First, in December 1775, the British Parliament passed the Prohibitory Act, which blockaded the colonies' ports and allowed for the seizure of American ships. Further riling up the colonists was Thomas Paine's Common Sense. This pamphlet defamed King George III as a "royal brute" and put into question the entire concept monarchical rule. More importantly, Paine made the point that it was not "common sense" to continue under British rule, and with this he stressed immediate revolution, stating that "the birthday of a new world is at hand." On July 2, 1776, the Congress voted for independence. Two days later, Thomas Jefferson's written declaration was accepted. The Declaration included a list of objections to King George III, but more importantly, it challenged all Americans to partake in democracy ad liberty.

Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, and R. Hal Williams. America Past and Present. Revised Sixth Edition, AP* Edition . Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 146-8. Print.

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