The Seven Years War, known in the colonies as the French and Indian War, cost the British government a huge sum of money, in part to pay for a large British force in North America. Feeling that the colonies had benefited from British victory over the French, following the war the British Parliament began imposing a series of taxes on the colonies.

The first was the Sugar Act in 1764, a tax on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies, where much of it went to the production of rum which was a major item of trade for the colonies.

Next came the Townshend Acts in 1767 and 1768 that placed indirect taxes on British goods imported by the colonies. These included lead, paint, paper, glass, and tea. A series of protests against these acts followed culminating in the Boston Tea Party in December 1773.

To punish the colonies, especially Massachusetts, in 1774 the British parliament passed the Coercive Acts, known in the Colonies as the Intolerable Acts. These were the Boston Port Act closing the port of Boston, the Massachusetts Government Act giving more power to the Royal Governor, the Administration of Justice Act conferring a preferred status for British officials charged with crimes in carrying out their duties, the Quartering Act that required colonists to provide lodging for British troops, and the Quebec Act that allowed Canadians to practice their Catholic faith which did not sit well in Protestant New England.

In September 1774 the First Continental Congress, made up of the most influential colonial leaders, met to decide how to respond to these British actions. Stating that the colonists enjoyed the same rights as Englishmen, it was a key link in the chain of events that led to our nation gaining independence from Great Britain.

In April 1775 British forces sortied to seize gunpowder and arms belonging to the Massachusetts Militia in Lexington and Concord. A confrontation between British troops and militia on the Lexington green led to shooting that left dead and wounded on both side. As the British retreated to Boston, they were harassed by the militia resulting in further dead and wounded. The American Revolution had begun.

The Second Continental Congress began meeting on May 10, 1776, and began functioning as the Colonial government. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia brought before the congress what would be called the Lee Resolution. It stated that “These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states.”

The Continental Congress debated the resolution over several days and on June 11 appointed a Committee of Five to draft a declaration. This committee consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. It was this committee that decided that Thomas Jefferson would write the first draft,

Jefferson wrote the first draft of the document between June 11 and June 28,1776. Because of the Congress’s busy schedule Jefferson probably had limited time for writing and wrote the draft quickly.

The committee presented the draft to Congress on June 28 with members editing it over the next two days. They shortened it by a fourth, removing unnecessary words and improving sentence structure. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from England. On July 4 the Declaration was adopted by the 56 delegates and sent to the printer.

The Declaration of Independence is often called the birth certificate of the United States and was the first document to use the name “United States of America.” Its opening sentence stated that America was now “one people” and no longer subjects of the King living in 13 separate British colonies. Now they were “citizens” of the United States.

The document stated to the world the reasons for our severing of relations with Great Britain. Guided by the thoughts of Seventeenth Century political philosopher John Locke It stated that all men are created equal, endowed by God with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Further it stated that governments which derive their powers from the consent of the governed are formed to protect these rights and that people had the right to rebel if a government did not uphold these rights as occurred with the King and English parliament.

The Declaration stated that an independent America would not stand alone but was assuming “a separate and equal station with the other powers of the earth.” In a very real sense, the Declaration was a notice to the world that the United States was “open for Business,” and was an independent nation ready to carry out a war, create alliances with foreign nations and to freely engage in commerce.

Since its proclamation the Declaration of Independence has continued to be an inspiration to peoples living under despotic and oppressive regimes around the world.

More than one-half of the 192 nations represented in the United Nations have founding documents that can be called a declaration of independence.

On Independence Day 2024 as you gather at family picnics, barbecues and later watch the traditional fireworks displays keep in mind that we are celebrating the document that created the greatest nation and the greatest agent for good that has ever existed on God’s Earth. God bless America.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com