On 4 July 1776 the American Declaration of Independence was adopted unanimously by the Second Continental Congress who were meeting in Pennsylvania State House to discuss how, when and why to separate from British control. It is now revered as the foundation document of the USA, but at the time it seemed more a promissory note than a statement of fact.
The Declaration of Independence was mostly written by Thomas Jefferson. In many ways, it embodies much of the ‘spirit of the Enlightenment’ which defined the thinking of the age. The delegates at the Second Continental Congress became known as the Founding Fathers and the declaration is now celebrated as one of the key documents that marked a global move away from monarchies to democracies.
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