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1776
The Declaration of Independence, adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776 is a document treasured by all true patriots. It is a symbol of the beginning of freedom for the United States, and overcame many obstacles to become an official, accepted document. The Declaration was preceded by another document called the Lee Resolution, which was a similar call to complete independence from British influence and control. The Lee Resolution was presented by Richard Henry Lee on June 7, 1776, but was postponed because there were still some delegates who felt that reconciliation with Britain was a possibility. Congress took a three week recess, and the debate appeared to be in favor of adopting the Lee Resolution. Before this recess of Congress, a committee of five was appointed. This committed consisted of Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, Robert R. Livingston from New York, and Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence. Their goal was to draft an official document stating the case for freedom, which would be presented to Congress.
The first Declaration draft was written by Thomas Jefferson, with corrections inserted by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Adams used his considerable writing and speaking skills to persuade other colonists of the need for opposition to Britain, and then of the cause for independence. Congress discussed the Declaration, and made some changes and took some things out, such as slavery. Slavery was omitted from the Declaration of Independence due to the fact that the South would not agree to the document if Slavery remained. The South's economy relied a great deal on plantations which consist of many slaves, and so abolishing slavery would cause great harm the South's...