The Declaration of Independence: America's Birth Certificate

Begin this course on the Declaration of Independence with a look at the physical document itself, tracing its creation and signing. Follow the centuries-spanning travels of the document, to its current home, as it was moved numerous times for display and safekeeping. Reflect on the significance and meaning of the document, as a beloved embodiment of national identity and patriotism.

Track the events that led to the outbreak of revolution. In the wake of the Boston Tea Party, mark the Coercive Acts passed by Parliament, and the colonists' actions seeking reconciliation, which were ultimately rejected by the crown. Note the roles of Thomas Paine's ideological tract Common Sense and numerous local declarations demanding independence in bringing the crisis to a tipping point.

In June of 1776, colonists moved rapidly toward announcing their political separation from Britain. Follow their actions leading to the creation of a committee to draft a statement of intent, headed by Thomas Jefferson. With Jefferson designated the write the document, learn how he composed it over two weeks, incorporating suggestions from the committee before placing it before Congress.

Jefferson's draft of the Declaration of Independence stands as a masterful piece of writing. Read the two opening paragraphs of the document and take apart the meanings of the finely-honed and densely packed sentences. Note how Jefferson conveys the American colonists' stance with elegance, precision, and rhetorical power, articulating the ultimatum to seek independence at any cost.

Here, delve into the most essential part of the Declaration-the grievances against the crown. Study the document's three categories of grievances: abuses of executive power, legislative power, and cruelty in human terms. Examine Jefferson's sources for the charges, and the ways in which he uses rhetoric, exaggeration, and hyperbole to justify rebellion as a moral necessity driven by principle.

Congress' movement toward independence came to a head in the days before July 2, 1776. As of early June, trace the events surrounding a three-week postponement of a vote on separation from Britain. Leading into July 2, follow the tense unfolding of the progress toward a final vote, with multiple speeches, delays, and maneuvers that in the end produced a majority vote for independence.