Declaration of Independence...a time of change

"Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British Empire a man more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose, and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America."  Thomas Jefferson, November 29th, 1775

 The Seven Years War (in Europe 1763) had taken a costly toll on the British government and resulted in a deterioration of relations between the Colonies and Great Britain. The Seven Years War caused Britain to go deep in debt and the the governing body of Great Britain, the Parliament, enacted measures to increase revenues from the U.S. Colonies. There, in a nutshell is the primary reason  why we today are independent nation known as: the United States of America.

 Two particular acts, the Stamp Act of 1765, which stipulated all printed material must be produced with an embossed revenue stamp generated from London, and the Townshend Act of 1767 which demanded the colonies were to provide revenue to pay the salaries of British governors and judges in the Colonies, resulted in much tension between the British and the colonists.
 Here was the crux of the problem: The Colonies had no representation in the Parliament, so the colonists questioned the right of British Law to have any right to levy taxes on them.
 The orthodox British train of thought was: The Parliament was the supreme authority and therefore any decision made in Parliament was constitutional...including the Colonies!

 Things really got "ugly" with the Parliament passing the Coercive Acts in 1774, which demanded the Province of Massachusetts be punished for it's "Boston Tea Party" on December 16th, 1773. The Boston Tea Party was a protest by the "Sons of Liberty" against the British government for its monopoly of the East India Tea company and its high prices with tax imports to the Colonies.
 It was on September 5th, 1774, the Colonies organized their own congress, "Continental Congress", who met for the first time to consider how to deal with the British demands.

 In April 1775, the Revolutionary War began in Lexington and Concord Massachusetts, although many colonists had hoped for reconciliation with Great Britain. As late as May of 1775, no one had publicly advocated Independence from Great Britain, but the hope of any reconciliation closed when King George of England issued the Proclamation of Rebellion, with an invitation of "friendly offers of foreign assistance" to suppress the Colonies and their Rebellion.

 The nest few months involved much political maneuvering and on June 11th, 1776 the stage was set. The Continental Congress appointed the "Committee of Five" to draft a Declaration for the Colonies. The "5" included: John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut.
 After a series of debates, mainly to clarify its reasoning and logic for the Declaration, was approved by the Continental Congress and announced publicly on July 4th, 1776.

 The Declaration of Independence can be read on numerous websites. Two sections that have renowned popularity is 1) in its introduction and 2) in its conclusion.

1) ".....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....."
2) "...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

 Facts on the Declaration of Independence:
1. Independence Day was first celebrated on July 8th, 1776.
2. On July 8th, 1776 the Liberty Bell rang in Philadelphia to summon the citizens of the Colonies to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence...by Col. John Nixon.
3. On June 14th, 1777, in an effort to promote national pride and unity, adopted a national flag. The flag consisted of 13 stripes, alternated red and white, a union represented by 13 stars, the stars being white with a blue background (to symbolize the constellation).
4. Patriotism was the "buzz word", having a Latin origin meaning homeland or fatherland.
5. The 1st public celebration of the 4th of July at the White House was in 1804.
6. On June 24th, 1826, Thomas Jefferson was forced to decline a written invitation from a Roger C, Weightman to come to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson at that time was gravely ill and the letter he wrote to Weightman stating he would not be able to attend was the last letter Jefferson wrote.
7. The original signers of the Declaration of Independence was kept from public for over 6 months....to protect them from being arrested. A declaration of that nature was considered treason by the British and was punishable by death.
8. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams passed away in 1826....on July 4th.