Declaration of Independence Facts
Facts about the Declaration of Independence | The Declaration of Independence was a document declaring the US to be independent of the British Crown. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, by the congressional representatives of the Thirteen Colonies.
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The Declaration of Independence Text | ||
American Colonies Index | Colonial Congress & Government |
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History of the first 13 Colonies and how they became the United States
The colonization of America and the fascinating events that led colonists and patriots down the Road to Revolution
50 Facts about the Declaration of Independence
This
article contains 50 fast facts and information about the Declaration of
Independence that was signed on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of
Independence fact files provides fast access to interesting facts and
stats about the most important and most famous event in American
history. The facts about the Declaration of Independence also provides
interesting facts and information about the people who signed the
Declaration of Independence.
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Signing the Declaration of Independence
50 Facts about the Declaration of Independence - Fact File
The
following 50 facts about the Declaration of Independence provides
interesting facts in the quick, comprehensive format of the Declaration
of Independence fact file. The Purpose of the Declaration of
Independence was to announce and explain separation from Great Britain.
Many of the ideas, ideals
and principles contained in the American Declaration of Independence of
1776, the First State Constitutions, the Articles of Confederation, the
1791 US Bill of Rights and in the U.S. Constitution.
50 Facts about the Declaration of Independence | |||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 1 | The
Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, by the
congressional representatives of the 13 Colonies of Colonial America. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 2 | The document was signed by 56 delegates to the Continental Congress | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 3 | The document stated the reasons the 13 American colonies wanted to be free of Great Britain's government. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 4 | The
Declaration of Independence states that the authority to govern belongs
to the people, rather than to kings, that all people are created equal
and have rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 5 | The American colonies had been at war with Great Britain for over a year when the document was signed.
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Declaration of Independence Fact 6 | The
document recorded the proclamation of the Second Continental Congress
asserting the independence of the Colonies from Great Britain. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 7 | The
American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), aka the American War of
Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and
thirteen British colonies in North America on April 19, 1775 and ended
September 3, 1783. The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) lasted 8
years and 137 days. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 8 | The
reason for the American Revolutionary War and the Declaration of
Independence was due to the belief that the Stamp Act of 1765, imposed
by Parliament of Great Britain, was unconstitutional. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 9 | American
Loyalists rejected the Declaration of Independence. Loyalists were
American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain
and the king during the American Revolutionary War. Those who supported
the American revolution, and the Declaration of Independence, were
called Patriots.
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Declaration of Independence Fact 10 | About 20% of the American population during the American Revolutionary War were loyalists | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 11 | When the Congress were declared traitors by royal decree they responded by issuing the Declaration of Independence. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 12 | The Declaration of Independence Preamble: John Adams
wrote the customary preamble, which stated that King George III had
rejected reconciliation and was hiring foreign mercenaries to use
against the American colonies. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 13 | The
Committee of Five appointed by the Second Continental Congress drafted
what became known as America's Declaration of Independence. The members
of the Committee of Five were:
The Committee of Five | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 14 | On July 4, 1776, the wording of the Declaration of Independence was approved and sent to the printer for publication. Declaration of Independence Text and Words |
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Declaration of Independence Fact 15 | The
printer, John Dunlap, was asked to make about 200 copies to be
distributed throughout the colonies. Only 26 Dunlap Broadsides have
survived. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 16 | The signers of the Declaration of Independence did not all sign on the same day. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 17 | John Hancock was the first man to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. John Hancock was the President of the Continental Congress at the time of the signing. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 18 | The
other signatures were added on various dates, the last being Matthew
Thornton, from New Hampshire, who signed on November 4, 1776. Signatures on the Document | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 19 | Not one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence was born in America. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 20 | The first public reading of the signed Declaration of Independence took place on July 8, 1776, in Philadelphia. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 21 | 9 of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence died before the American Revolution ended in 1783. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 22 | The Declaration of Independence was signed by Thomas Lynch, Jr. and Edward Rutledge when they were only 26 years of age. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 23 | Benjamin Franklin was 70 years old and the oldest to sign the Declaration of Independence
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Declaration of Independence Fact 24 | Matthew Thornton, from New Hampshire, was the last man to sign the document on November 4, 1776 | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 25 | Signing the Declaration of Independence was extremely dangerous - a treasonable act, punishable by death | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 26 | Congress
initially kept the names of the men who signed the document secret
until January 1777 to protect them from charges of treason | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 27 | Two future presidents signed the Declaration: John Adams (second President) and Thomas Jefferson (third President). | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 28 | The original sheet of parchment measured 24¼ by 29¾ inches. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 29 | George Washington ordered that the Declaration of Independence be read before the American army in New York when it was first printed.
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Declaration of Independence Fact 30 | The First Public reading of the Declaration of Independence was in Philadelphia's Independence Square, on July 8 1776 | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 31 | In
1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, the population
of America is estimated to have been 2.5 million - the population of
America is now about 312 million. |
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Declaration of Independence Fact 25 | The
Declaration has only left the capital twice. The first time was when
the British attacked Washington during the War of 1812, and the second
time was during World War II from late 1941 until the fall of 1944 when
it was stored at Fort Knox. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 26 | The
movie National Treasure starring Nicholas Cage is based on secret
written on the back of the original document. There isn't a secret, but
there is some writing - a filing reference. It says "Original
Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776". | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 27 | Robert R. Livingston was a member of the Committee of Five, but did not sign the final copy. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 28 | Independence
Hall was originally called the Pennsylvania State House, but was
changed after the signing of the Declaration of Independence when it
became Independence Hall
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Declaration of Independence Fact 29 | The
Liberty Bell: The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence
Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public
reading by Colonel John Nixon. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 30 | Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on Independence Day, July 4, 1826, 50 years after the first Independence Day. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 31 | The
signers of the Declaration of Independence had various occupations: 24
were lawyers, 11 were merchants, 9 were farmers and plantation owners | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 25 | According
to legend, Betsy Ross sewed the first American flag in May or June
1776, as commissioned by the Congressional Committee. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 26 | In 1941, Congress declared 4th of July a federal legal holiday. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 27 | The average age of the Signers of the Declaration was 45 | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 28 | 1 out of 8 signers (7 in total) were educated at Harvard | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 29 | The Continental Congress made 86 changes to the draft. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 30 | The United States didn't exist until after the Declaration of Independence was signed! | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 31 | Every 4th of July the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia is tapped (not rung) 13 times in honor of the original thirteen colonies.
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Declaration of Independence Fact 32 | During
the Revolutionary War, four signers were captured by the British
(George Walton, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Arthur Middleton, and Edward
Rutledge). All four were eventually released. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 33 | One US President, Calvin Coolidge, was born on July 4 |
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Declaration of Independence Fact 34 | The Declaration is divided into three basic parts: 1. An introduction with a statement of the philosophy. 2. A list of grievances (Complaints) 3. A final and formal "Declaration of Independence."y | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 35 | A
one gun salute for each state in the United States, called a “salute to
the union,” is fired at noon on Independence Day by any capable
military base. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 36 | The most famous extract from the Declaration of Independence is: 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. | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 37 | The signers names for Massachusetts were: John Hancock (1737 - 1793) Samuel Adams (1722 - 1803) John Adams (1735 - 1826) Robert Treat Paine (1731 - 1814) Elbridge Gerry (1744 - 1814) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 38 | The signers names for Georgia were: Button Gwinnett (1735 - 1777) Lyman Hall (1724 - 1790) George Walton (1741 - 1804) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 39 | The signers names for North Carolina were: William Hooper (1742 - 1790) Joseph Hewes (1730 - 1779) John Penn (1740 - 1788) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 40 | The signers names for South Carolina were: Edward Rutledge (1749 - 1800) Thomas Heyward, Jr (1746 - 1809) Thomas Lynch, Jr. (1749 - 1799) Arthur Middleton (1742 - 1787) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 41 | The signers names for Maryland were: Samuel Chase (1741 - 1811) William Paca (1740 - 1799) Thomas Stone (1743 - 1787) Charles Carroll (1737 - 1832) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 42 | The signers names for Virginia were: George Wythe (1726 - 1806) Richard Henry Lee (1732 - 1794) Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826) Benjamin Harrison (1726 - 1791) Thomas Nelson, Jr. (1738 - 1789) Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734 - 1797) Carter Braxton (1736 - 1797) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 43 | The signers names for Pennsylvania were: Robert Morris (1734 - 1806) Benjamin Rush (1746 - 1813) Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790) John Morton (1724 - 1777) George Clymer (1739 - 1813) James Smith (1719 - 1806) George Taylor (1716 - 1781) James Wilson (1742 - 1798) George Ross (1730 - 1779) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 44 | The signers names for Delaware were: Caesar Rodney (1728 - 1784) George Read (1733 - 1798) Thomas McKean (1735 - 1817) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 45 | The signers names for New Jersey were: Richard Stockton (1730 - 1781) John Witherspoon (1723 - 1794) Francis Hopkinson (1737 - 1791) John Hart (1711 - 1779) Abraham Clark (1726 - 1794) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 46 | The signers names for New York were: William Floyd (1734 - 1821) Philip Livingston (1716 - 1778) Francis Lewis (1713 - 1802) Lewis Morris (1726 - 1798) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 47 | The signers names for New Hampshire were: Josiah Bartlett (1729 - 1795) William Whipple (1730 - 1785) Matthew Thornton (1714 - 1803) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 48 | The signers names for Rhode Island were: Stephen Hopkins (1707 - 1785) William Ellery (1727 - 1820) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 49 | The signers names for Connecticut were: Roger Sherman (1721 - 1793) Samuel Huntington (1731 - 1796) William Williams (1731 - 1811) Oliver Wolcott (1726 - 1797) | ||||
Declaration of Independence Fact 50 | The most famous version of the Declaration of Independence, is displayed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. | ||||
50 Facts about the Declaration of Independence |
Facts and Information about this historic document
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Declaration of Independence Facts
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article containing Declaration of Independence facts is presented in a
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surrounding famous document that plays a major role in American history.
The facts include the drafting of the document together with important
dates and the roles of different people who feature in the history of
the document. For additional facts and information refer to the
additional articles including:
Who Signed the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence Facts
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