Analyzing the Meaning and Legacy of the Declaration of Independence
Inquiry Question 1: According to the Declaration of Independence, why did the colonies declare independence from Great Britain?
Inquiry Question 2: In what ways did individuals use the Declaration of Independence to argue for the end of slavery?
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Historical Context
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Drafting the Declaration of Independence, Engraving by Alonzo Chappel, 1857, Massachusetts Historical Society, www.masshist.org/database/3306 Student Background
The Declaration of Independence was written in the summer of 1776 at the first Continental Congress. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by four other committee members, the Declaration laid out for the King and the rest of the colonists their reasons for claiming independence from Great Britain. It was intended to inspire the colonists to fight against the Crown and to put their lives on the line for the cause. The writers detailed specific grievances against the King for his taxation without representation, quartering of soldiers, waging war on the colonies, and a long list of other problems. The writers also included a list of ideals they held for a new government that understood that “all men are created equal” and the government should guarantee “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness” for all individuals.
Source Set
This manuscript copy of the Declaration of Independence, one of several written by Jefferson, represents the Declaration as drafted by the Committee of Five. This copy is four pages long, but pages three and four are fragments (pieces) only.
Citation: Jefferson, Thomas, Declaration of Independence [manuscript copy]. 4 pages, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/thomasjeffersonpapers.
After the Committee of Five drafted the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress made additional changes and then approved the text. On July 4, 1776, the Congress sent the text to the printing shop of John Dunlap, who printed a small number of copies that night. Messengers rode on horseback to deliver copies of the Declaration of Independence to all of the colonies, where it was read aloud publicly. To reach more people, the text of the Declaration of Independence was also printed in newspapers and on broadsides.
The MHS also holds a printed copy of the Declaration of Independence from 1777 that refers to the document as “unanimous” in its title and includes the names of the signers (except for Delaware’s Thomas McKean, who probably signed later).
Citation: In Congress, July 4, 1776, A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress Assembled, Broadside, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/database/50.
The Continental Congress voted in favor of independence on July 2, 1776. On July 3, John Adams wrote two letters to his wife, Abigail Adams. In the final two paragraphs of this first letter, John Adams describes the importance of the Continental Congress’s unanimous vote in favor of independence from Great Britain. Adams also briefly reflects on the origins of the separation between Great Britain and the colonies, and how the call for independence came to be.
Citation: Adams, John. Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776, "Your Favour of June 17...". 2 pages. Original manuscript from the Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L1776.
The Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776. On July 4, the Congress formally adopted the written Declaration of Independence. In this second letter to his wife Abigail, John Adams describes what he thought the lasting impact, or legacy, of this moment would be for future generations. (Notice which date he thought would be used for annual celebrations.)
Citation: Adams, John. Letter from John Adams to Abigail Adams, 3 July 1776, "Had a Declaration..." . 3 pages. Original manuscript from the Adams Family Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society,https://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L1776.
In this petition, free Black men in Massachusetts state their case for freedom, suggesting that such is the natural right of all people. This is a manuscript copy of a petition. An official copy, dated 13 January 1777, was submitted to the legislature and was signed by Prince Hall (1735-1807) and seven other free Black men.
The excerpt from the petition quoted in the gray box has been modified for clarity.
Citation: Petition for freedom (manuscript copy) to the Massachusetts Council and the House of Representatives, [13] January 1777, Massachusetts Historical Society, https://www.masshist.org/database/557.
Read a longer excerpt.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Frederick Douglass learned how to read and write and, in 1838, freed himself. He and his wife, a free Black woman, escaped to New York and then Massachusetts. He became a noted speaker for abolition and women’s rights. In 1845, he published his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
On July 5, 1852, Frederick Douglass spoke to the ladies’ anti-slavery sewing society at Corinthian
Hall in Rochester, New York. His speech was then printed and published in what is now known as Douglass’ “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” speech.
Citation: Frederick Douglass, photomechanical, halftone, oval image, from Portraits of American Abolitionists (a collection of images of individuals representing a broad spectrum of viewpoints in the slavery debate), Massachusetts Historical Society, www.masshist.org/database/1050.
The Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society published this broadside advertising a Fourth of July rally they were sponsoring in Framingham in 1854. Black and white abolitionists–including Sojourner Truth, William Lloyd Garrison, and Henry David Thoreau–addressed the crowd. In a dramatic climax, Garrison burned copies of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and the United States Constitution.