Very often the thought arises of how lucky I was to be born and live out my life in the greatest nation that has ever existed on this planet. While we have our faults and we’ve made mistakes; I know that our nation is the major force for good on this planet.

What follows is the story of our nation’s birth.

This Independence Day we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress and the birth of the United States. It was the document by which the 13 American colonies announced that they were choosing self-rule and were now free and Independent of Great Britain.

The first session of the Second Continental Congress convened at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, just weeks after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On June 14, 1775, the Congress established the Continental Army and appointed George Washington its Commander. It also drafted the “Olive Branch Petition,” a final, peaceful plea sent by the American colonists to King George III in early July 1775. It asked the King to protect their rights and stop the fighting so both sides could resolve their issues. The King refused to read it, which pushed the colonies toward independence.

It was the publication of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” in January 1776 that set the agenda for the second session of the Continental Congress. Prior to “Common Sense,” congressional delegates were divided, with some treating the conflict as a civil war over taxation and striving to mend relations with Britain through measures like the Olive Branch Petition. Paine’s fiery pamphlet transformed the political landscape by introducing several powerful ideas into deliberations.

The pamphlet, to use a modern term, went viral, selling an estimated 120,000 to 500,000 copies across a colonial population that numbered approximately 2.4 million in 1776. By translating complex Enlightenment ideas into clear, everyday prose, Paine

convinced ordinary citizens that a total break from Britain was the only logical step. The pamphlet created a surge in public fervor putting pressure on local colonial assemblies. They began rewriting their instructions to congressional delegates, legally authorizing them to vote for independence.

In “Common Sense” Paine shifted the blame for the breakdown in relations between the colonies and Great Britain from Parliament to George III by attacking the monarchy and calling the King a “royal brute” helping to break the emotional bonds many colonists had for the crown. Paine effectively destroyed the “moderate” political stance in Congress and made continued attempts at peace look cowardly and unrealistic, leaving total separation as the only honorable path forward.

“Common Sense” laid out a blueprint for a representative, republican government centered on popular sovereignty. Key leaders openly acknowledged the pamphlet’s power. George Washington described it as “working a powerful change in the Minds of Men.” Within just six months of its publication, the momentum generated by “Common Sense” led directly to Richard Henry Lee’s “Resolution for Independence” in June.

Lee’s resolution, introduced to the Second Continental Congress on June 7 is viewed by many historians as the true legal and political turning point of the American Revolution. The motion contained three explicit parts: a declaration of independence, a call for foreign alliances, and a plan for confederation.

When Lee introduced the motion on June 7, delegates from several colonies including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland did not yet have authority from their home legislatures to vote for a permanent break. Congress therefore postponed the final vote for three weeks. Knowing that a vote was inevitable, Congress appointed three committees on June 11 to map out Lee’s three proposals. This included appointing the Committee of Five composed of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to draft a formal text explaining the resolution.

Because of his skill as a writer Jefferson wrote the first draft. He wrote it in his rented Philadelphia rooms between June 11 and 21 drawing on his own prior drafts of the Virginia Constitution.

From June 22 through June 27 Adams and Franklin, and Jefferson reviewed the draft and made minor revisions before presenting it to the full congress on June 28. Between June 29 through July 4 Congress debated the draft, ultimately making 86 changes and cutting roughly a quarter of Jefferson’s original text before formally adopting the Declaration on July 4, 1776. The official copy was formally signed on August 2, 1776.

The 56 men, representing the 13 colonies, who signed the Declaration knew that in British eyes they were committing a treasonous act and possibly were signing their own death warrants and placing their personal fortunes on the line.

The Declaration of Independence stated the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. It states that “all men are created equal” and possess inherent rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This was seen as a radical departure from the hereditary, class-based societies of the time. It further said that governments derive their legitimacy entirely from the people they rule, rather than from the divine right of monarchy.

Today scholars consider that the Declaration’s significance lies in proclaiming the right to equality, the right to revolution, and formally establishing the United States as a sovereign nation. Its universal language of freedom and self-determination continues to inspire democratic movements and human rights campaigns worldwide.

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