

About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside were printed and distributed throughout the colonies, with John Hancock’s name printed at the bottom. The United States didn't exist until after the Declaration was signed! However, all but eight of the signers were born in colonies that would become the United States.Īfter the Declaration was passed on July 4, 1776, Congress ordered that it be sent to a printer named John Dunlap. No one who signed the Declaration of Independence was born in the United States of America. No one knows who wrote this, but it was probably added as a label when the document was rolled up for transportation and storage. Instead, there are a few handwritten words that say, "Original Declaration of Independence / dated 4th July 1776". There is something written on the back of the Declaration of Independence, but it isn't a secret map or code. In the summer of 1776, when the Declaration was signed, the population of the nation is estimated to have been about 2.5 million. Unfortunately, it took five long years of war before the British surrendered in October 19, 1781, and the United States of America could begin the business of becoming a nation.Įngrossed Declaration of Independence, 1776, from the National Archives, Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention. However, King George III did not want to lose this valuable land, and so the colonies took to arms to defend their new country and rights in what is now known as the Revolutionary War. As the main draftsman of the Declaration, Jefferson wanted the document to feature three main truths: that all men are created equal, that all men have some rights given to them by God and that among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Livingston came together to draft a document that would not only sever the colonies’ ties with King George III, but also express the values of the new country. In June 1776, a committee that included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Over the next two years, the Colonies grew more and more angry at the British, until they decided they had had enough. In 1773, as an act of revolt against the British and their tax on tea in America, colonists threw crates of tea imported from Britain into the Boston harbor. In the years leading up to this landmark document, the British Parliament passed a number of Acts that unfairly taxed the American Colonies, without any representation. Print of the Declaration of Independence, 1976, from the National Archives, Records of the Department of State This document became known as the Declaration of Independence.

On July 4, 1776, representatives from the original 13 American Colonies came together to formally adopt a document that listed all their grievances against the British government and announce their independence from the crown.
#United states declaration of independence trial#
In federal criminal cases it requires indictment by a grand jury for any capital offense, or infamous crime, guarantees a speedy public trial with an impartial jury in the district in which the crime occurred, and prohibits double jeopardy.The Declaration of Independence See the signatures that started a nation Among the legal protections it affords, the Bill of Rights prohibits Congress from making any law respecting establishment of religion and prohibits the federal government from depriving any person of life, liberty or property without due process of law.

It also prohibits unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual punishment and compelled self-incrimination. The Bill of Rights protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, the freedom of assembly and the freedom to petition. The first ten amendments to the Constitution-the Bill of Rights-came into effect on December 15, 1791, limiting the powers of the federal government of the United States and protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors in American territory. On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress issued a unanimous declaration: the thirteen North American colonies would be the thirteen United States of. It is the oldest written national constitution in use and defines the principal organs of government and their jurisdictions and the basic rights of citizens. Written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, the Constitution of the United States of America is the fundamental law of the US federal system of government and the landmark document of the Western world. The Bill of Rights of the US Constitution protects basic freedoms of United States citizens.
