Declaration of Independence: drafting, adoption, legacy

Purpose and meaning of the Declaration

The Declaration of Independence was written to announce and explain why the Thirteen Colonies were separating from Great Britain. Its purpose was not only to declare independence, but also to provide a political, moral, and legal justification for that break by laying out the principles under which a people may assume self-rule. In the Declaration, the meaning of independence is grounded in natural law and rights: it argues that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed and that people have a right to alter or abolish a government that becomes destructive of natural rights. It then supports the case for revolution by listing grievances against King George III, showing that his actions created conditions that made separation necessary. Finally, the document concludes by formally declaring the colonies “free and independent states,” absolving them from allegiance to the British Crown and asserting their capacity to act as independent nations.

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Continental Congress convenes and reconvenes

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