F16.2B

F16.2B

JULY 5TH, 1776 REPORTERS: SADIE JONES AND SARAH DRODER DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: THE NEW DOCUMENT OF OUR NATION The Declaration of Independence was released in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania last night in order to display freedom of the 13 colonies. The cannons could be heard all around as the Congress agreed to pass the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Robert Sherman. There were many people involved in the creating of the Declaration of Independence. Five men from five different colonies were the ones who wrote the final draft. Although they were all very important in the creating of the document, Thomas Jefferson was the key man. He is the one who wrote the preamble, our natural rights, British wrongs, and statements about independence. Patrick Henry, a citizen of the thirteen colonies, helped Thomas Jefferson organize the Committee of Correspondence. Yesterday that document was approved, or adopted, by the first Continental Congress, which was first signed by John Hancock. According to Congress, there are four main parts to the Declaration of Independence-the preamble, the first section, the second section, and the third section. The first section has to do with Natural Rights. These are rights given to us by God, and, according to the colonies, no one should be able to take them away. The second section has to do mainly with the British and their wrongs. These are said to be events to blame King George for. The final section is about the Independence of the colonies and the colonies' individual rights. According to Congress, the document is 1300 words long, and is signed by 56 individuals. The writing of the Declaration of Independence took place among the thirteen colonies, but more specifically in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is Benjamin Franklin's hometown, while the other four men came from the surrounding colonies. The document was written in a building called Independence Hall. The men were fighting for the freedom of the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies as a whole. The Declaration of Independence was first drafted on June 6th, 1776, and was finished on June 28th, 1776. After the drafting was over, the Continental Congress revised and edited the document so it could be approved yesterday on July 4th, 1776. Finally we can have freedom from the British! The Declaration of Independence (as of this very moment) may end up being the single-most important document for our independence. Thomas Paine wrote the Common Sense Pamphlet, and the desire for Independence became more important. Also, Jefferson and his people wanted to take a stand and earn Liberty. The individual colonies also stated boldly that they were not being able to represent themselves or voice their own opinions; laws were being passed, and whether the colonies liked it or not, they were in effect. The final reason the colonies say they wanted Liberty was from the overtaxing of Great Britain. Mainly Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; but he did have two other meant help him to revise it (John Adams and Benjamin Franklin.) How did the meeting go? You may ask, and the answer is that each of the delegations for the 13 colonies voted as the first start of a democracy. It turned out that nine delegations were for the Declaration, and two delegations were against the declaration: New York did not have permission to vote. However, the next day, South Carolina changed its vote and voted for the bill, along with Delaware. This officially ended the long debate of whether or not the Declaration of Independence would pass; and it did.

