Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence The Declaration (dek-luh-REY-shuhn) of Independence was a letter. The letter went to the British king. It was from the American colonists. The letter said the colonies were free. They were a new nation.

Great Britain and the American Colonies Great Britain owned the 13 American colonies. The British king ruled them. The king raised taxes on the colonists. He did it to pay for a war against France. The colonists did not want to pay. They dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor. They wanted to show how mad they were. The colonists chose men. They made a Continental Congress (KONG-gris). These men tried to decide what to do. They sent letters to the king. But the king ignored them.

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#50896—Leveled Texts: Symbols, Monuments, and Documents

Writing the Declaration of Independence The king hired troops to fight the colonists. The Americans had enough. In 1776, the Continental Congress told the king that the colonies were free. Thomas Jefferson wrote this in a letter. Ben Franklin and John Adams made suggestions. The members of the Congress made changes to the letter. The part against slavery was taken out. People in the Southern colonies owned slaves. They would not sign with that part in. The Declaration said all people are equal. Each person has the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Declaration said the British king had kept these rights from the colonists.

Fighting for Freedom On July 4, the Congress approved the Declaration. Many men signed it. It was dangerous to sign. Declaring independence was one thing. Actually being free was another. Great Britain had the best army. It had the best navy. The colonists had to fight a war. It was tough. In 1783, Americans won the war. They were truly free.

What Did You Learn? Why was the Declaration of Independence written? 30 #50896—Leveled Texts: Symbols, Monuments, and Documents

© Shell Education

Declaration of Independence On July 4, 1776, the Declaration (dek-luh-REY-shuhn) of Independence was signed. It was a letter written to the British king. It was from the American colonists. It declared, or said, that the colonies were free.

Great Britain and the American Colonies Great Britain owned the 13 American colonies. The king was their ruler. The king raised taxes on the colonists. He did it to pay for a war against France. The colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor. The tea was from Britain. The colonists wanted to show the king how mad they were. The colonists chose men they trusted to form a Continental Congress (KONG-gris). These men tried to figure out what to do. They sent the king letters to say what they wanted. The king ignored them.



Writing the Declaration of Independence The king hired troops to fight the colonists. The Americans had enough. In 1776, the Continental Congress decided to tell the king that he was no longer in charge. The Congress chose Thomas Jefferson to write this letter. Ben Franklin and John Adams made suggestions. The members of the Congress made changes to the letter. The part that spoke against slavery was removed. People in the Southern colonies owned slaves. They would not sign unless that part was taken out. The Declaration said that all people are created equal. They have the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Declaration listed the ways in which the British king had kept these rights from the colonists.

Fighting for Freedom On July 4, the Congress approved the Declaration. But declaring independence was easier said than done. Great Britain had the best army and navy. The colonists had to fight a long war. In 1783, Americans won the war. They were truly free.

What Did You Learn? 32

Why is the Declaration of Independence important?


© Shell Education

Declaration of Independence On July 4, 1776, the Declaration (dek-luh-REY-shuhn) of Independence was approved, which was a letter written to the British king. It was from the American colonists and declared, or said, that the colonies were free. They were a new nation.

Great Britain and the American Colonies Great Britain owned the 13 American colonies. The British king was their ruler. In 1763, Britain fought France. The king raised taxes on the colonists to pay for the war. The colonists did not want to pay, but they had no choice. In 1773, the colonists dumped tea from Britain into the Boston Harbor to show the king how angry they were about the taxes. The king sent troops to keep the colonists under control. These troops could move into anyone’s home and live there. The colonists chose men they trusted to form a Continental Congress (KONG-gris). These men met to figure out what to do. They sent the king letters to explain what they wanted. But he ignored them.



Writing the Declaration of Independence The king hired German troops to fight the colonists. The Americans had enough. In 1776, the Continental Congress decided to tell the king that he was no longer in charge. Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write this message. Ben Franklin and John Adams made suggestions. The members of the Congress made changes to the Declaration. One change was the removal of the part against slavery. People in the Southern colonies owned slaves. They refused to sign unless that part was taken out. The Declaration said that all people are created equal. Everyone has the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It listed the ways in which the British king had kept these rights from the colonists.

Fighting for Freedom On July 4, the Congress approved the Declaration. But declaring independence was easier said than done. Great Britain was the world’s strongest nation and had the best army and navy. The colonists had to fight a long, bloody war. At last, in 1783, Americans won the war. They were truly free.

What Did You Learn? What is the importance of the Declaration of Independence? 34 #50896—Leveled Texts: Symbols, Monuments, and Documents

© Shell Education

Declaration of Independence On July 4, 1776, the Declaration (dek-luh-REY-shuhn) of Independence was approved. This message to the British king was from the American colonists. It declared, or announced, that the colonies were free and America was a new nation.

Great Britain and the American Colonies Great Britain owned the 13 American colonies, which made the British king the ruler. In 1763, Britain fought France, and the king raised taxes on the colonists to pay for the war. The colonists did not want to pay, but they had no choice. In 1773, the colonists dumped tea from Britain into the Boston Harbor to show how furious they were about the taxes. The king responded by sending troops to keep them under control. These troops could move into anyone’s home and live there. The colonists chose men they trusted to form a Continental Congress (KONG‑gris). The Congress met to determine what to do. The representatives sent the king letters detailing what they wanted. But he ignored them. 35 © Shell Education


Writing the Declaration of Independence The king hired German troops to fight the colonists. The Americans had enough. In 1776, the Continental Congress decided to tell the king that he was no longer in charge. Thomas Jefferson wrote the message with suggestions made by Ben Franklin and John Adams. The members of the Congress made revisions to the Declaration. One change was the removal of statements against slavery. People in the Southern colonies owned slaves and refused to sign unless that part was deleted. The Declaration said that all people are created equal and have the “right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It listed the ways in which the British king had kept these rights from the colonists.

Fighting for Freedom On July 4, the Congress approved the Declaration. But declaring independence was easier said than done. Great Britain was the world’s strongest nation and had the best army and navy. The colonists had to fight a long, difficult war. At last, in 1783, Americans won the war. They were truly free.

What Did You Learn? What is the importance of the Declaration of Independence? 36 #50896—Leveled Texts: Symbols, Monuments, and Documents

© Shell Education