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Declaring Independence

In January of 1776, Thomas Paine wrote a 46-page pamphlet called Common Sense. It promoted an idea that interested many American colonists. Paine made a bold call for the independence of Americans from England. He wrote that the king of England was a harsh, cruel leader. Paine’s pamphlet led to the writing of a document that guaranteed the rights of all American citizens. A committee was appointed to write the Declaration of Independence. (This happened in June of 1776.) Thomas Jefferson wrote most of the text in two weeks.

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by colonial representatives. One main idea for this document was that all citizens should be treated equally. The Declaration also states that the people are the source of power for government. If a government disregards the rights of its citizens, it should lose the power to govern. Between 1775 and 1783, the Revolutionary War was fought between American colonists and England. With the acceptance of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, American colonists made a clear separation from being ruled by Britain. They laid the groundwork for a new, democratic form of government.