The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence PDF Author: David Armitage
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674022829
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Get Book Here

Book Description
In a stunningly original look at the American Declaration of Independence, David Armitage reveals the document in a new light: through the eyes of the rest of the world. Not only did the Declaration announce the entry of the United States onto the world stage, it became the model for other countries to follow. Armitage examines the Declaration as a political, legal, and intellectual document, and is the first to treat it entirely within a broad international framework. He shows how the Declaration arose within a global moment in the late eighteenth century similar to our own. He uses over one hundred declarations of independence written since 1776 to show the influence and role the U.S. Declaration has played in creating a world of states out of a world of empires. He discusses why the framers’ language of natural rights did not resonate in Britain, how the document was interpreted in the rest of the world, whether the Declaration established a new nation or a collection of states, and where and how the Declaration has had an overt influence on independence movements—from Haiti to Vietnam, and from Venezuela to Rhodesia. Included is the text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and sample declarations from around the world. An eye-opening list of declarations of independence since 1776 is compiled here for the first time. This unique global perspective demonstrates the singular role of the United States document as a founding statement of our modern world.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence PDF Author: David Armitage
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674022829
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332

Get Book Here

Book Description
In a stunningly original look at the American Declaration of Independence, David Armitage reveals the document in a new light: through the eyes of the rest of the world. Not only did the Declaration announce the entry of the United States onto the world stage, it became the model for other countries to follow. Armitage examines the Declaration as a political, legal, and intellectual document, and is the first to treat it entirely within a broad international framework. He shows how the Declaration arose within a global moment in the late eighteenth century similar to our own. He uses over one hundred declarations of independence written since 1776 to show the influence and role the U.S. Declaration has played in creating a world of states out of a world of empires. He discusses why the framers’ language of natural rights did not resonate in Britain, how the document was interpreted in the rest of the world, whether the Declaration established a new nation or a collection of states, and where and how the Declaration has had an overt influence on independence movements—from Haiti to Vietnam, and from Venezuela to Rhodesia. Included is the text of the U.S. Declaration of Independence and sample declarations from around the world. An eye-opening list of declarations of independence since 1776 is compiled here for the first time. This unique global perspective demonstrates the singular role of the United States document as a founding statement of our modern world.

Declaration of American Independence

Declaration of American Independence PDF Author: Brian Williams
Publisher: Cherrytree Books
ISBN: 1842345931
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 34

Get Book Here

Book Description
This series explores key dates in history: what happened on the day and the background and consequences of the event. Each title tells the story in a crisp, fast-paced style and colour and black and white photos, map and timeline support the text. The books are perfect quick-read introductions to the dramatic events, and equally useful as high interest / low reading level books. On 4th July 1776, America declared their independence after almost 200 years of British rule. This key date in the American Revolution changed the course of history. Today the Declaration of Independence is a treasured document and 4 July is the most important national holiday and celebration in the USA.

Give Me Liberty!

Give Me Liberty! PDF Author: Russell Freedman
Publisher: Holiday House
ISBN: 9780823417537
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 100

Get Book Here

Book Description
Celebrated children’s historian Russell Freedman explores the tensions in colonial America that led to the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of a nation. This engaging account delves into the deep-rooted conflicts between the American colonies and the British crown, presenting the Revolution not as a sudden break between distant governments but an inevitable result of building pressure, spurred on by events and guided by the distinct personalities that would become the Founding Fathers. With a strong focus on cause and effect and the actions of important individuals, Give Me Liberty! traces the tensions that built up in the 1770s, including the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, and the early battles of the Revolutionary War, culminating in the signing of the Declaration in 1776, and its spread through the new American nation. Illustrated with historical paintings, prints, and document reproductions, Freedman weaves primary sources and contemporaneous accounts into his narrative, making it an immersive and eye-catching resource. Perfect for students of American history, this introduction to the American Revolution also includes a final chapter on how the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence have persisted and evolved through the years, inspiring later generations to seek rights for more and more Americans. Detailed backmatter includes a printed image and full text of the Declaration, a timeline of events, selected bibliography, and index.

Draft of the Declaration of Independence

Draft of the Declaration of Independence PDF Author: John Adams
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781503031371
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 24

Get Book Here

Book Description
John Adams (October 30 1735 - July 4, 1826) was the second president of the United States (1797-1801), having earlier served as the first vice president of the United States (1789-1797). An American Founding Father, Adams was a statesman, diplomat, and a leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was an Enlightenment political theorist who promoted republicanism, as well as a strong central government, and wrote prolifically about his often seminal ideas-both in published works and in letters to his wife and key adviser Abigail Adams. Adams was a lifelong opponent of slavery, having never bought a slave. In 1770 he provided a principled, controversial, and successful legal defense to the British soldiers accused in the Boston Massacre, because he believed in the right to counsel and the "protect[ion] of innocence." Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. A lawyer and public figure in Boston, as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress. Later, as a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and was responsible for obtaining vital governmental loans from Amsterdam bankers. A political theorist and historian, Adams largely wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which together with his earlier Thoughts on Government, influenced American political thought. One of his greatest roles was as a judge of character: in 1775, he nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief, and 25 years later nominated John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the United States. Adams' revolutionary credentials secured him two terms as George Washington's vice president and his own election in 1796 as the second president. During his one term as president, he encountered ferocious attacks by the Jeffersonian Republicans, as well as the dominant faction in his own Federalist Party led by his bitter enemy Alexander Hamilton. Adams signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts, and built up the army and navy especially in the face of an undeclared naval war (called the "Quasi-War") with France, 1798-1800. The major accomplishment of his presidency was his peaceful resolution of the conflict in the face of Hamilton's opposition. In 1800, Adams was defeated for re-election by Thomas Jefferson and retired to Massachusetts. He later resumed his friendship with Jefferson. He and his wife founded an accomplished family line of politicians, diplomats, and historians now referred to as the Adams political family. Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States. His achievements have received greater recognition in modern times, though his contributions were not initially as celebrated as those of other Founders. Adams was the first U.S. president to reside in the executive mansion that eventually became known as the White House.

American Scripture

American Scripture PDF Author: Pauline Maier
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307791955
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pauline Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be -- from the Declaration's birth in the hard and tortuous struggle by which Americans arrived at Independence to the ways in which, in the nineteenth century, the document itself became sanctified. Maier describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it, and with more authority than the colonists would ever have conceded to the British Parliament; the great difficulty in making the decision for Independence; the influence of Paine's []Common Sense[], which shifted the terms of debate; and the political maneuvers that allowed Congress to make the momentous decision. In Maier's hands, the Declaration of Independence is brought close to us. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in the other "declarations" of 1776: the local resolutions -- most of which have gone unnoticed over the past two centuries -- that explained, advocated, and justified Independence and undergirded Congress's work. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson. Maier also reveals what happened to the Declaration after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and, most important, how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society. Finally, she shows how by the very act of venerating the Declaration as we do -- by holding it as sacrosanct, akin to holy writ -- we may actually be betraying its purpose and its power.

The First American Declaration of Independence?

The First American Declaration of Independence? PDF Author: Scott Syfert
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476612927
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 259

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is a comprehensive history of one of the greatest mysteries in American history--did Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, declare independence from Great Britain more than a year before anyone else? According to local legend, on May 20, 1775, in a log court house in the remote backcountry two dozen local militia leaders met to discuss the deteriorating state of affairs in the American colonies. As they met, a horseman arrived bringing news of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Enraged, they unanimously declared Mecklenburg County "free and independent" from Great Britain. It was known as the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" ("MecDec" for short). A local tavern owner named James Jack delivered the MecDec to the Continental Congress, who found it "premature." All of this occurred more than a year before the national Declaration of Independence. But is the story true? The evidence is mixed. John Adams believed the MecDec represented "the genuine sense of America" while Thomas Jefferson believed the story was "spurious." This book sets out all of the evidence, pro and con.

The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context

The Declaration of Independence in Historical Context PDF Author: Barry Alan Shain
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300158742
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 784

Get Book Here

Book Description
Letters, papers, petitions and proclamations from the mid-18th century in the American colonies, provide a different historical perspective on the Declaration of Independence.

What Is the Declaration of Independence?

What Is the Declaration of Independence? PDF Author: Michael C. Harris
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 044848692X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 129

Get Book Here

Book Description
Step back in time to the birth of the United States of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation—The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom, and the Declaration of Independence made that official. Discover the true story of one of the most radical and uplifting documents in history and follow the action that fueled the Revolutionary War.

What Is the Declaration of Independence?

What Is the Declaration of Independence? PDF Author: Michael C. Harris
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0451532783
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Get Book Here

Book Description
Step back in time to the birth of America and meet the real-life rebels who made this country free! On a hot summer day near Philadelphia in 1776, Thomas Jefferson sat at his desk and wrote furiously until early the next morning. He was drafting the Declaration of Independence, a document that would sever this country's ties with Britain and announce a new nation—The United States of America. Colonists were willing to risk their lives for freedom, and the Declaration of Independence made that official. Discover the true story of one of the most radical and uplifting documents in history and follow the action that fueled the Revolutionary War.

Declarations of Independence

Declarations of Independence PDF Author: Howard Zinn
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 374

Get Book Here

Book Description
The acclaimed author of A People's History of the United States presents an honest and piercing look at American political ideology.