Dbq Declaration Of Independence

Many people, like myself, know what the Declaration of Independence meant for people in back between the 1760-70’s. It declared a separation from Great Britain’s control. What others may not know is the history behind it. There were various reasons Americans wanted to break free from under British control such as: not wanting to live under a monarchy, to protect people’s rights and the desire to build a new nation.
At the time, King George III was in control. He had opposed the American colonists’ desire for independence. It was as if he forced his policies on America and was considered an extremely inflexible tyrant. His policies made a lot of colonists angry and the rebellion began rapidly.
One of the first major oppositions began with the Stamp Act in 1765. This act was meant to raise profit for establishing a British army in America. The colonists

gathered to discuss and talk about their opposition to the tax. They were not happy about this at all. After this, colonists got angry and began to boycott British goods and destroyed property of tax collectors. Eventually, Parliament repealed the act.
Every act that the British tried to push onto the colonists backfired on them.

While Americans were struggling for their rights, King George only saw it as a rebellion in the colonies. All of the complaints that the colonists had were being ignored. Americans were tired of the overruling and unfair authority that Great Britain had over them.
In an effort to vocalize the concerns, Thomas Paine wrote a fifty-page pamphlet called, Common Sense. Authors, Schweikart and Allen (2004) explained that Paine argued that the loyalty they had for the king has already ended. “The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, ‘Tis Time to Part (p. 80).’” His book, which sold more than a hundred thousand copies, would also be used as an introduction to Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence in July 1776.
The First Continental Congress was something I would consider as a courtesy. Slowly but surely, they began to eliminate British authority in the colonies. The first measure was sending complaints straight to the King. Their complaints were overlooked but this did not stop the desire of freeing themselves from

tyranny.
The Second Continental Congress, were more proactive and proposed that states form their own government. This led to a five men committee—Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, Livingston and Sherman—who were appointed to draft a declaration.
Jefferson was one of the main writers of the declaration. The History Channel website’s article, “American colonies declare independence,” says that Jefferson was inspired by the political philosophy of John Locke, also an advocate of natural rights.
The American colonists wanted to be treated equally. They wanted to be free from the hands of the British monarchy. The declaration of independence is what made it possible for the colonists to live a better life. The lines from the document basically says that we, as in human beings, are created equal and we were given rights from our Creator (God). It also featured comments and concerns that led to the rebellion. For example, the taxes the King imposed on the colonists.
Nancy Stockdale’s article, “Declaration of Independence,” says that, “A majority of Americans still wanted to maintain their ties with Great Britain—hoping for reform rather than complete separation (2014).” Livingston, one of the men on the committee, did not sign the document for this reason. He had hoped for a better solution from the British government to the problems within the colonies.
On July 4, 1776, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Fifty-six delegates, the original drafters of the document and John Hancock, the first person to sign the document, made the declaration official by signing it. The declaration was a major step in the rebellion against the British government.