Introduction
All nations have had their different ways in which they came to gain independence. The United States came to be as an outcome of acts of heroism, military rebellion, clashes between countries, and civil conflict. The revolution of the United States had an impact on the country’s history, from its democracy to its well-being. The declaration of independence happened as a result of several events like the stamp act, the Townshend act and the Boston Massacre. It had great significance to the history of the United States, which affected the nation and the generations which came later. The declaration of independence was the most significant event in the US history and it happened after the 13 colonies came together to fight for it.
Events That Led to The American Revolution
There are Several events which led to the breakup of the American colonists with the British empire. Firstly, the Stamp Act of March 1765, a massive debt was left over after France war, so the parliament set laws that taxed more for transactions with colonies (Armitage, 2007). However, the tax was never collected because the colonists started causing riots everywhere. Colonialists did not pay tax or buy goods from the British. Secondly, the Townshend Acts, from June to July 1767, occurred to stop corruption and smuggling in the government. The parliament passed legislation to tax goods imported from Britain. Americans also boycotted British goods, which were subject to taxation, leading to the British sending troops to occupy Boston.
Thirdly, in the Boston Massacre in March 1770, a disagreement between a wigmaker and a British soldier made a crowd of colonialists take over seven British troops. The disagreement increased tension, which led to a fight and open firing, causing the death of some men and others left mortally wounded (Armitage, 2007). This contributed to the emergence of the fourth event, The Boston Tea party December 1773, during which the British left in place the tea tax act even after withdrawing their militaries from Boston. The sons of liberty, a group formed to confront the British leaders’ heads, caused violent protests in the colonies and England. The Americans destroyed the past laws that closed the British harbor and led to the emergence of the fifth event, the coercive act. The coercive act closed the Boston harbour until compensation for the destroyed tea was paid.it gave powers to he British military governor and forbade meetings in town without approval.
The Lexington and Concord in April 1775 was the sixth event where a British general had organized soldiers from Boston and planned to capture radical colonial leaders from Lexington and take them to Concord to clutch their powers. Word spread, and the plan was unsuccessful since the American army prepared to fight the British, and they overpowered them. This led to the start of America’s independence war (Forsdick, 2018). The last event was the British attacks on coastal towns between October 1775 and January 1776. At the commencement of the war, the northern and southern colonies were not in agreement. This is because the southern colonies depended on the British for crop trade. Buildings were burned down, and there was chaos all over, and the leaders of the rebels seized the war and destruction of ports and raised a spirit that promoted victory.
The Revolution of the Declaration of Independence
The connection between the British and America had to be dissolved because of the British colonial supremacy over North America. This is because America needed freedom to do what it wanted without receiving orders from the British. A committee was formed to draft a declaration to frame this resolution. This committee involved Adams John from Massachusetts, Roger Sherman from Connecticut, Franklin Benjamin from Pennsylvania, Livingstone Robert from New York, and Jefferson Thomas from Virginia (Faludi, 2021). However, most Americans were enslaved, and not all people had the same right to live. Women and Indians were left out of the declaration of independence. It included four parts, the introduction, the accusations of King George III, the denunciation of the British government, and the conclusion. It included major ideas like all men are created equally and have unalienable human rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All people have governments in their midst, which are to be abolished if they deny their people their rights. Jefferson did most of the writing, although the committee members contributed. The interior congress adopted the declaration on July 4, 1776, and the commissioners later signed it. Some words and statements were withdrawn during the adoption, like Jefferson’s denunciation of the slave trade.
Significance of the Declaration of Independence
The declaration of independence had great significance to the citizens of states. Firstly, the colonialists’ motivations were summarized because they declared themselves independent nations (Gabrielle, 2014). This enabled them to confirm an official association with the government of France, and they offered assistance in the war against Britain. The declaration also served its immediate military and political goals to the advantage of Americans. Its diplomatic effect was allowing foreign countries to recognize the United States.
Secondly, the declaration led to the emergence of a nation for the first time in history, which would be led by the first principles of the rule of law, limited governments, unalienable rights, equality, and the right to alter or abolish oppressive government and the social impact. Due to this, women acquired more rights and responsibility to be the first educators of the future leaders of the new nation. Women used this opportunity to prepare younger girls for leadership roles.
Thirdly the declaration led to state constitutions in 1776 and 1777. As a result, powerful political, social, and economic forces emerged, eventually transforming post-revolution politics and society (Jefferson & Fink, 2002). There was growth and diffusion in the population, and religious toleration emerged. Through the declaration or bill of rights, every constitution began with Virginia being a model for others, and then other countries followed in the months of 1777. Virginia included a declaration of principles of freedom of elections, reasonable bail and human punishment, popular sovereignty, and freedom of the press, to mention a few.
Many people acquired the right to vote, making the independence declaration’s fourth significance. Citizens earned their right to choose their government, and more local men got jobs in local and state governance (Jefferson & Fink, 2002). Most people got access to natural rights in the colonies to have the chance to demand those rights. Men also gained a greater voice and were in control of how their communities were run. After the declaration, the northern states passed the gradual abolition acts. Similarly, the southern women got a chance to vote thou under the condition that they had to own property.
The fifth significance is that the declaration became an important landmark in democracy history. This led to America’s tremendous influence outside its borders, making the declaration one of the three important documents in the state’s government (Faludi, 2021). The declaration unlocked new trade contacts and unlocked the western territories for invasion and settlement, leading to the emergence of domestic markets. This led to new opportunities in manufacturing and foreign countries started spotting United States and ended the mercantilist economy.
Conclusion
The events that led to the declaration of independence in the United States include the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Boston Massacre, the Boston tea party, the coercive Acts, Lexington and Concord, and lastly, coastal town attacks from the British. Similarly, the relationship between the Americans and the British at the time of the revolution was not good, which was a major contributing factor for the need for independence. The declaration of independence had various great significance to the united states. They include giving a chance to colonialists to summarize their motivations, which led to the emergence of a nation ruled by its principles.
It led to the formation of state constitutions, gave people the right to vote, and became an important landmark in democracy history. Although the war was complicated, all countries that sided with the British lost their powers. This led to diplomatic relationships with the New United States. The declaration of independence, bill of rights, and the constitution are still stored at the national archives in Washington, DC, where interested people can get the information.
References
Armitage, D. (2007). The declaration of independence. Harvard University Press.
Faludi, A. (2021). Declaration of interdependence. Planning theory & amp; Practice, 23(1), 145-156. Web.
Forsdick, C. (2018). The Haitian declaration of independence: Creation, context, and legacy. Slavery & amp; abolition, 39(1), 211-212. Web.
Gabrielle, B. (2014). An Analysis of the Declaration of Independence (Undergraduate). The College at Brockport.
Jefferson, T., & Fink, S. (2002). The declaration of independence. Scholastic reference.