1. The Declaration of Independence John Trumbull, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, 1817.

2. “Declaration Day” A desperate situation Forced to retaliation The task ahead a burden Men will suffer, that's for certain We'll charge into the fire The cause, we must inspire We raise our fists to tyranny A high price, freedom is not free The odds are stacked against us But with our resolve relentless And arrogance their weakness Our cause is just, we won't be beaten Upon this declaration Will come a brand new nation Where men are seen as equal Governed by and for the people

3. Chorus: So we make our stand and pray On this Declaration Day For independence I will fight With liberty I will defy So we make our stand and pray On this Declaration Day Give me liberty or give me death I'll fight till my last breath With virtue as our beacon Our cause is charged as treason Battle worn and starving Through the hell of war we'll keep marching The birth of our new nation An act of desperation We'll force King George down to his knees Capitulation Chorus

4. Independence from Great Britain was NOT declared at the beginning of the war; many colonists did not favor a total break with Britain. Since there were no such things as public opinion polls in 1775-1776, it is impossible to know what most colonists thought at any given moment during this time about breaking away from Britain. Most of the members of the Continental Congress were of a deeply conservative nature and the war effort required the support of every colony, especially those colonies like NY, PA, and SC, which were dominated by economic interests with deep ties to the mother country. Over the course of 1775, however, many Americans started to turn against the king due to escalating conflicts and oppressive laws. The colonists’ failed invasion of Canada also did much to bring about a declaration of independence. Those military disasters at Quebec and the St. Lawrence River led Congress to make the break. Only by declaring independence could the Congress hope for aid from the French.

5. January 1776, Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, which calls for independence and a new government—one run by the consent of the people (republicanism). The pamphlet also spoke out against the foolishness of monarchy and that reconciliation with Britain would inhibit American commerce and lives. Inspired by Paine’s arguments, Patriot conventions throughout the colonies urged a break from Britain. On July 1, the Continental Congress created a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The Declaration of Independence: Authored by Thomas Jefferson, consists of 5 parts: 1)The Preamble, 2) Statement of Human Rights, 3) Charges against Human Rights, 4) Charges against the King and Parliament, 5) the Statement of Separation and Signatures from colonial delegates. The ideas/arguments themselves were not totally original. After all, Jefferson’s task was to simply write up a formal statement explaining further our decision to become independent. The Continental Congress approves the idea of independence on July 2 nd, but formally approves the DOI (the document) itself on July 4 th ! The document is not officially signed by all members of the Congress until August.