{"data":{"description":"Most Americans are unaware that the document Thomas Jefferson wrote and which was passed by Congress is not the actual declaration of independence.","title":"Why The Declaration of Independence Is Not The Declaration of Independence","post_type":"page","content":"\u003cp style=\"color: #000000; text-align: left;\"\u003eMost Americans are unaware that the document Thomas Jefferson wrote and which was passed by Congress is not the actual declaration of independence.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ch3 style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eJefferson did not write a statement declaring independence. Rather, his document was a statement listing all of the reasons why the colonies had separated from Great Britain. In fact, the title of the document formally approved by the Congress had the title: \"A Declaration by the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in General Congress assembled.\" It does not have the title: The Declaration of Independence.\u003c/h3\u003e\r\n\u003ch3 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003eTitle Page of the original Declaration of Independence\u003c/h3\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"divimgctr\"\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/declaration-independence-declaration-independence/original-declaration-independence\"\u003e\u003cimg class=\"wp-image-6568 size-full\" src=\"/images/earlyamerica/Original-Declaration-Independence.jpg\" alt=\"Original Declaration of Independence\" width=\"600\" height=\"190\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cp\u003e Title Page of the original Declaration of Independence\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003c/div\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eCongress felt it was not only important but also necessary that the colonies explain the reasons for their separation from England. Thus, Jefferson's document explained why independence was necessary, why secession from the British Empire was lawful.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eActually, the declaration of the colonies' separation from the mother country had already taken place two days earlier on July 2, 1776.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eThe actual declaration of independence was written by Richard Henry Lee, an active patriot and a respected member of Virginia's congressional delegation. That declaration took place when Congress adopted the Richard Henry Lee Resolution that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states....and that all political connection between them and The State of Great Britain is, and of right ought to be, totally dissolved.”\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eWith this resolution on July 2, the colonies had officially severed their ties with Great Britain.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eIn a now-famous letter to his wife on the following day, John Adams predicted that the date of July 2 would become a great American holiday celebrated in future years. He did not foresee that Americans — including himself — would instead celebrate Independence Day on the date that Jefferson's document explaining the reasons for the separation was announced.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003ch4 style=\"color: #ad8431;\"\u003eFour Things You Need to Know About The Declaration of Independence\u003c/h4\u003e\r\n\u003col style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/asked-jefferson-write-first-draft-declaration-independence/\"\u003eWhy They Asked Jefferson To Write The First Draft\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/declaration-independence-written/\"\u003eHow The Declaration of Independence Was Written\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/congress-deletes-fourth-jeffersons-text-declaration-independence/\"\u003eCongress Deletes A Fourth of Jefferson's Text\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/congress-deletes-fourth-jeffersons-text-declaration-independence/\"\u003eWhy The Declaration of Independence Is Not The Declaration of Independence\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ol\u003e\r\n\u003cul style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003eRead the \u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/declaration-independence/\"\u003etext version of the Declaration of Independence\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003eTake Our \u003cspan style=\"color: #990000;\"\u003e\u003ca style=\"color: #990000;\" href=\"/earlyamerica/early-america-quiz/declaration-of-independence-quiz/\"\u003eDeclaration of Independence Quiz\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e and Test Your Knowledge of America's Great Freedom Document\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\t\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/earlyamerica/freedom-documents/declaration-independence/\"\u003eBack to Declaration of Independence\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\r\n\u003c/ul\u003e","menu":[{"path":"lives-early-america","title":"Famous Lives","submenu":[{"path":"lives-early-america/autobiography-benjamin-franklin","title":"Autobiography of Ben Franklin"},{"path":"lives-early-america/ramsays-life-washington","title":"Ramsay's The Life of Washington"},{"path":"lives-early-america/adventures-col-daniel-boone","title":"The Adventures of Col. Daniel Boone"},{"path":"lives-early-america/true-story-paul-revere","title":"The True Story of Paul Revere"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"portrait","title":"Portraits"},{"path":"rare-images/last-men-revolution","title":"The Last Men of the Revolution"}]},{"path":"freedom-documents","title":"Freedom Documents","submenu":[{"path":"freedom-documents/bill-rights","title":"Bill of Rights"},{"path":"freedom-documents/declaration-independence","title":"Declaration of Independence"},{"path":"freedom-documents/u-s-constitution","title":"The U.S. Constitution"}]},{"path":"world-early-america","title":"World of Early America","submenu":[{"path":"bookmarks","title":"Early American Bookmarks"},{"path":"world-early-america/famous-obits","title":"Famous Obits"},{"path":"firsts","title":"Firsts!"},{"path":"rare-images/maps","title":"Maps"},{"path":"rare-images","title":"Rare Images"},{"path":"music1","title":"Music"},{"path":"writings","title":"The Writings of Early America"}]},{"path":"boston-massacre","title":"Boston Massacre"},{"path":"milestone-events","title":"Milestones"},{"path":"early-america-review","title":"The Review"},{"path":"home/teachers-students","title":"Teachers"},{"path":"sitemap","title":"Sitemap"}]},"success":true}