Document · July 4, 1776
Declaration of Independence
congressional declaration · Second Continental Congress; committee draft principally by Thomas Jefferson
Read in context
Congress revised and adopted a text joining natural rights, popular sovereignty, grievances against the king, separation, and international status.
Why it matters
Read the final text beside Jefferson’s draft, congressional edits, state declarations, and the people excluded from its immediate political community.
Selected passage
All men are created equal.