F76.2B

F76.2B
 * Colonies Seperate From the British Empire**


 * July 5, 1776**

The Continental Congress announces that the 13 colonies will seperate from the British Empire and become their own independent nation. The Commitee of Five wrote and edited the document, and the Continental Congress passed the idea of declaring independance from Britain.

The Declaraton of independance started with a presentation made by a citizen of the colonies by the name of Richard Henry Lee. The meeting of congress was held at Liberty Hall. After Thomas Paine's writing and publishing of the "Common Sense" pamphlet, the rebelion really started to take form. Many citizens of the colonies started to take interest in seperating or declaring independance from British rule. RIchard Henry Lee then took matters into his own hands, and proposed the idea of writing the Decleration of Independance to the Continental Congress. After a ruling with the majority voting for freedom from british rule, the Continental Congress assembled the Committee of Five, which was a group made up of important and iconic figures or people in this rebelion. The Congress elected Benjamin Franklin as the drafter of the Decleration, and the other four committee members as editors and also more men to think of better ideas to write. Many points that were emphasized in this document were based off of historical philosophy from men such as Emeric de Vattel and John Locke. The Decleration was meant to promote the pursuit of happiness or the general welfare of America. This peace declared equality of all men, and it also declared that men can withdraw their own consent from and unjust or unfair government. It is said that if these men are captured in this time of war, they will be accused of treason and hanged. Word of Independance has carried through the colonies Already, people have begun to tear down King George III statues in New York. The document was started on June 11, 1776, and was submitted to Congress as a darft on June 28, 1776. The Committee of Five was a group of five men chosen by the Continental Congress to write and edit the Declaration of Independence. The committee of five consisted of John Adams of Massachusetts, Benajmin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Conneticut. Thomas Jefferson was selected to draft the Declaration of Indepepndence, and it was edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Benjamin Franklin was not only part of the Committtee of Five, but he was also a member of the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson is the main author of the Declaration of Independence, and the others helped him think of ideas and edited his ideas to make the Declaration one powerful statement. Jefferson's goal was to point out the wrong doings of King George III, and to give reason why America should be their own independent nation. The committee of five was the base of the declaration ideas but the writer was Thomas Jefferson. He had originally included freedom for slaves but the committee removed that part. They had also taken out some of the other parts in the Declaration that Jefferson had removed. Once the final copy of the draft they had representatives from each colony sign it.They did that to prove that people supported the document. After all of the struggle pulling together the draft they finalized it and read it to the public. They will soon be traveling to england to read it to the king.