The Declaration of Independence is important because it says that we are free and independent from Great Britain and that we have a right to govern ourselves as a nation.
The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson, with some help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, and approved by Congress on July 4th, 1776. It was later signed by 56 delegates to Congress on August 2nd, 1776 (two months after it was approved). While today’s version is shorter than the original, its meaning remains unchanged.
The Declaration of Independence has three main parts:
1) A statement explaining why independence is necessary.
2) A list of charges against England’s King George III, justifying rebellion against him.
3) A list of rights that all men have “by nature,” including life, liberty and property.
The Declaration describes a philosophy of government that is based on natural rights: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration also asserts that governments exist to protect these rights and if any government fails in this task it has no right to continue existing.
Most importantly, it asserts that “to secure these rights Governments are instituted among Men” — that is, people form governments so they can protect those natural rights. And lastly it states “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it.”
