Declaration of Independence

​Heading for Independence

• Colonists were unhappy with Great Britain!

• The First Continental Congress in 1744

  • met in Philadelphia to discuss a unified response to Great Britain’s acts and actions 

  • delegates from every colony except Georgia attended 

  • wrote protests against British actions and decided to completely stop importing goods from Great Britain

  • agreed to meet again in one year

​Heading for Independence

• Colonists were still unhappy with Great Britain!

• The Second Continental Congress in 1745

  • met in Philadelphia beginning in May 1775

  • this time Georgia also attended

  • After many months of discussion and a final failed attempt at compromise with Great Britain, the delegates at the Second Continental Congress decided to break away from Great Britain and become an independent nation. 

    • The Congress selected a “Committee of Five,” comprised of Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, to produce the Declaration of Independence.

​The Declaration of Independence

• Thomas Jefferson became the main author.

• On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress issued the Declaration of Independence. 

  • It announced to the world the unity of the thirteen colonies in their fight for independence.

  • The Declaration was a bold statement of American confidence. 

• Written primarily by Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. 

• The three Georgia delegates who signed the declaration were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

​The Declaration of Independence

• The Declaration provided a detailed explanation of why the colonies believed they needed to break free from British rule. The document includes three parts:

• Preamble

  • the introduction

  • states why the colonies wanted to be separate from Great Britain

• Grievances

  • lists 27 complaints against King George III and stated how he and Parliament had wronged the colonies

  • biggest complaints included taxing the colonies without their consent, keeping a standing army in the colonies even during peaceful times, & denying their right to self-govern by ending colonial legislatures

• Declaration

  • officially declared the colonies free of British rule

  • announced the formation of the "Untied States of America"

​The Declaration of Independence

• The end of the Declaration included 56 signatures representing delegates from all thirteen colonies. 

• The signers knew they took a great risk by signing their names. 

  • To the British government, the Declaration of Independence was treason.

  • Anyone who signed it faced execution if caught.

• 3 Georgians signed the Declaration of Independence:

​Button Gwinnett

​Lyman Hall

​George Walton