Thomas Paine came to the colonies in 1774 from England. He arrived at a time when there were serious problems between the colonists and Great Britain. British laws and policies angered the colonists, and they responded with protests and boycotts. Violence between the colonists and the British army increased.
In January 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a book titled "Common Sense." In it he urged that the colonies break away from Great Britain and he criticized British rule. He claimed that Britain’s rule was a threat to the colonist's liberty. But he didn’t want the colonies to have the same type of government that Great Britain had. Instead, he called for a democracy with the power in the hands of the people!
Thomas Paine was one of the first people to promote independence from Great Britain. Paine wrote his passion in calling for an independent America. He used common, simple language. He wanted as many people as possible to read and understand his ideas.
Paine's book, Common Sense, was so popular that he sold about half a million copies by the end of the American Revolution. It captured the spirit of what many people believed about the colonies situation with Great Britain. Common Sense convinced many colonists to support the revolutionary movement.
George Washington believed Paine’s writings were so inspiring that they should be read to the American troops fighting for independence!
The first Continental Congress met in 1774 to discuss the Intolerable Acts, which were a series of restrictive laws the British government imposed on the colonies after the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill. During the meeting, delegates decided to completely boycott importing British goods. They also agreed to meet again one year later.
The second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1775. Representatives from the American Colonies discussed whether or not they should break away from Great Britain and become an independent nation. The decision was yes! A committee chose Thomas Jefferson to draft a document declaring American independence.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence. It announced to the world that the 13 American Colonies were united in the fight for independence. The declaration was a bold statement of American confidence.
While others contributed ideas, Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the declaration. Jefferson wrote one of the most famous lines in American history: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal! Jefferson would go on to become the third President of the United States.
The Declaration of Independence was treason to Great Britain. Anyone who signed it faced execution if caught. It was also a document that had the reasons to justify the Revolutionary War. The declaration showed King George III that the colonists were united against him. It also clearly stated to the world why the American citizens had declared their independence. Britain responded by calling the declaration and unimportant work written by irritated colonists.
The declaration also served as a way to express the colonists deeply held beliefs. When the declaration refers to "rights," it means the natural rights that everyone deserves. Those natural rights come from a higher power and should not be denied by governments.
Congress expected the Declaration of Independence to reach other nations leaders besides Great Britain. The colonists hoped to win the support of other foreign nations because Great Britain had many enemies around the world.
Before the Declaration of Independence, the colonies were separate units. The declaration pulled the colonists together as one. It created unity. People were no longer British colonists from Massachusetts, Virginia, or elsewhere. They were Americans, and the words "United States of America" appeared in writing for the first time in history with the Declaration of Independence.