What did the Declaration of Independence do?

By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. ... However, Congress did form a committee to draft a declaration of independence and assigned this duty to Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Paine. read more

The (US) Declaration of Independence asserted a philosophy of government that any government can only rule with the consent of the governed, and that the basic purpose of government is to protect people's rights. read more

The Declaration of Independence helped convince the more reluctant colonies that now was the time to rise up against the British government. By Aug. 2, 1776, 55 men representing all 13 colonies had signed the document. read more

John Trumbull's painting Declaration of Independence has played a significant role in popular conceptions of the Declaration of Independence. The painting is 12-by-18-foot (3.7 by 5.5 m) in size and was commissioned by the United States Congress in 1817; it has hung in the United States Capitol Rotunda since 1826. read more