When most people think of the Declaration of Independence they see an image of the signing of the document; old, yellowed paper, fancy writing, and men in wigs. Although that is correct, there is much more to the document. At its base, the Declaration of Independence is a divorce letter. However, unlike most divorce letters, it is written formally and publicly, and carried the danger of hanging if the revolution failed.

Although the battle for independence began before July 4th, 1776, tensions had been building for years. Following the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, Britain was in great debt. As such, British Parliament imposed taxes on the American colonies including the Stamp Act in 1765 and the Townshend Acts in 1767. The colonists believed they had no right to be taxed since they did not have representatives in Parliament. Thus, their slogan became “No Taxation Without Representation.” Although Parliament refused to give in, protests eventually escalated into open rebellion. The Battle of Lexington and Concord in April of 1775 signaled that the colonies were now at war, although they had yet to declare their independence from Great Britain.

In June of 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presented a resolution to the Second Continental Congress stating that the United States should become a free and independent nation. The Continental Congress then formed a five-member committee to draft a declaration which would outline reasons for this decision. This committee consisted of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Because Jefferson was known for writing clearly and forcefully, he was selected to write the first draft of the declaration. At age 33, he worked alone in a rented room in Philadelphia for approximately 17 days.

Jefferson drew upon many pre-existing ideas when drafting the Declaration. One of those sources was John Locke, one of the leading figures of the Enlightenment. Locke stated that all people have three fundamental rights: the right to life, the right to liberty, and the right to own property. Furthermore, Locke stated that all people enter society voluntarily and therefore have the ability to leave society if their individual rights are violated. In his Declaration, Jefferson translated this concept into what has come to be perhaps the most well-known phrase in American history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Following the philosophical aspects of the Declaration came a list of grievances against King George III. The Declaration lists 27 specific complaints against the king. These complaints included dissolving colonial assemblies (assemblies established by each colony), maintaining standing armies during times of peace, limiting trade between England and America, taxing American colonies without their consent, and depriving colonists of a fair trial by jury. Jefferson's original draft also condemned the transatlantic slave trade. However, due to opposition from delegates from Georgia and South Carolina who feared this condemnation may lead to further division within Congress regarding approval of the Declaration, this portion was removed prior to Congressional debate.

Franklin and Adams made some suggestions concerning Jefferson's initial draft. Once finalized, Congress debated it for two days and made 86 additional amendments. Approximately a fourth of Jefferson's initial work was deleted by Congress. Many historians agree that Jefferson felt embarrassed when reading his deletions. The final version of the Declaration was approved by Congress on July 4th, 1776. Only after adoption of the Declaration did most delegates sign it on August 2nd. John Hancock signed first and allegedly wanted King George III to read his signature without spectacles.

While legally declaring the Thirteen Colonies free and independent nations able to make war, form alliances and conduct commerce with other countries, the Declaration also notified the rest of the world that the colonists viewed themselves as a new nation. Additionally, it provided soldiers with a reason greater than tax outrage. The Declaration was printed as broadsides and read aloud in town squares where people cheered while aware of the risks involved with signing their names to such a document. Signatures represented treason; if the Revolution failed, signers could be hung.

As imperfect as it was — given its failure to include enslaved people, women or Native Americans in its promise of equality — Jefferson's writings set a precedent. His statements inspired Abraham Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg in 1863 and Martin Luther King Jr.'s address in Washington D.C., fifty-one years later.

Today, the original parchment remains stored in a special vault in Washington D.C. The ink used to create signatures has faded greatly over time making handwriting nearly impossible to decipher today. Nonetheless, the purpose behind creating it remains understandable. A group of individuals collectively agreed that they would no longer accept rule from a government that did not represent them. Therefore, they drafted an explanation for why and sent it as a formal public notice (breakup letter) via printing press.