Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, the members of the Continental Congress assembled at the State House in Philadelphia to take up a matter of vital importance. Two days earlier the Congress had voted to declare the colonies to be "free and independent states." Now they were considering how to announce that fact to the world. By the end of the day, the final wording had been determined and the Congress voted unanimously to adopt one of history's greatest documents the Declaration of Independence.
The stirring phrases of the
Declaration inspired the patriots to defeat the British, thus guaranteeing
independence. Since that time the Declaration has been a source of pride
and strength for every generation of Americans.
