By Mary O’KEEFE

We will soon be celebrating the 250th year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This is the last of the articles CVW will be doing that highlight the anniversary. 

On July 4, 2026 the U.S. will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence became the foundation of the fight for the 13 colonies’ independence from the rule of the King of England. 

On June 7, 1776 Richard Henry Lee, a delegate from Virginia, read a resolution before the Continental Congress “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved,” according to the National Archives. 

  On June 11, 1776 the committee of five (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R Livingston) was appointed to draft a statement presenting to the world the colonies’ case for independence. 

From June 11 to July 1, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was drafted with the lead author being Thomas Jefferson. 

On July 2, the Lee resolution was adopted by 12 of the 13 colonies – New York did not vote. Then the Congress turned to the Declaration of Independence. It made some edits and worked tirelessly, debating the contents from July 2 to the morning of July 4. 

Late on the morning of July 4, 1776 the Declaration was officially adopted. The committee of five took the manuscript copy of the document to John Dunlap, official printer of the Congress, and it was printed. On the morning of July 5, 1776 printed copies of the Declaration were given to members of Congress, to various committees, assemblies and to the commanders of the Continental troops. On July 9 the action of Congress was officially approved by the New York Convention. On July 19, the Congress placed the Declaration on parchment with the title “The unanimous declaration of the thirteen United States of America” and on Aug. 2, 1776 the document was signed by most members, with some signing over the next few months and one, Thomas McKean, didn’t sign until 1781. 

Below is the Declaration Of Independence in its entirety:

Note: From the National Archives – The following text is a transcription of the Stone Engraving of the parchment Declaration of Independence (the document on display in the rotunda at the National Archives Museum). The spelling and punctuation reflect the original.

In Congress July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

JOHN HANCOCK.

New Hampshire

JOSIAH BARTLETT, MATTHEW THORNTON.

WM. WHIPPLE,

Massachusetts Bay

SAML. ADAMS, ROBT. TREAT PAINE,

JOHN ADAMS, ELBRIDGE GERRY.

Rhode Island

STEP. HOPKINS, WILLIAM ELLERY.

VerDate Aug 31 2005 08:33 Feb 15, 2008 Jkt 040101 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5820 Sfmt 5807 Y:\TS\2006MAIN\2006V1.MN\V1PRE4.MN BOBPage XLVII THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE—1776

Connecticut

ROGER SHERMAN, WM. WILLIAMS,

SAM’EL HUNTINGTON, OLIVER WOLCOTT.

New York

WM. FLOYD, FRANS. LEWIS,

PHIL. LIVINGSTON, LEWIS MORRIS.

New Jersey

RICHD. STOCKTON, JOHN HART,

JNO. WITHERSPOON, ABRA. CLARK.

FRAS. HOPKINSON,

Virginia

GEORGE WYTHE, THOS. NELSON, jr.,

RICHARD HENRY LEE, FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT

TH. JEFFERSON, LEE,

BENJA. HARRISON, CARTER BRAXTON.

North Carolina

WM. HOOPER, JOHN PENN.

JOSEPH HEWES,

Pennsylvania

ROBT. MORRIS, JAS. SMITH,

BENJAMIN RUSH, GEO. TAYLOR,

BENJA. FRANKLIN, JAMES WILSON,

JOHN MORTON, GEO. ROSS.

GEO. CLYMER,

South Carolina

THOS. HEYWARD, THOMAS LYNCH, Junr.,

Junr., ARTHUR MIDDLETON.

EDWARD RUTLEDGE,

Delaware

CAESAR RODNEY, THO. M’KEAN.

GEO. READ,

Maryland

SAMUEL CHASE, CHARLES CARROLL OF

WM. PACA, Carrollton.

THOS. STONE,

Georgia

BUTTON GWINNETT, GEO. WALTON.

LYMAN HALL,

NOTE: – Mr. Ferdinand Jefferson, Keeper of the Rolls in the De-

partment of State, at Washington, says: ‘‘The names of the sign-

ers are spelt above as in the facsimile of the original, but the

punctuation of them is not always the same; neither do the

names of the States appear in the facsimile of the original. The

names of the signers of each State are grouped together in the

facsimile of the original, except the name of Matthew Thorn-

ton, which follows that of Oliver Wolcott.’’