The Declaration of Independence, Part One: The Colonies Learn to Govern and Defend Themselves
By the mid-1700s, the American colonies had learned to govern and defend themselves. More and more people realized it made no sense for a government thousands of miles away to make decisions for the colonies, especially one that imposed unfair burdens and ignored requests for change.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the issues that led our forefathers to draft the Declaration of Independence, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of the Library of Congress, National Archives, Yale University Art Gallery.
On May 15, 1776, the fifth Virginia Convention meeting in Williamsburg passed a resolution calling on their delegates at the Second Continental Congress to declare a complete separation from Great Britain. Accordingly, on June 7, Richard Henry Lee rose and introduced into Congress what has come to be known as the Lee Resolution.