The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It officially declared the independence of the thirteen British North American colonies. Many people view the Declaration of Independence as mere propaganda developed by the colonies to draw much needed support from European powers such as France during the colonies" separation. These people argue that the Declaration of Independence has no binding legality; it is simply a document explaining a legal action. Furthermore these advocates, who believe the Constitution to be the establishing document of the nation, support their claim with the fact that the Constitution formed the democracy under which our country operates and conclude that any document preceding it has no legal effect. However, there is substantial evidence to advocate the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution, as being the birthing document of our country and a binding form of law.
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of our country. "[Our country's] birth is unique, not only in the immensity of its later impact on the course of world history and the growth of democracy, but also because so many of the threads in our national history run back through time to come together in one place, in one time, and in one document: the Declaration of Independence (Microsoft Encarta)." For example, six states cite the Declaration of Independence in their constitutions, and Massachusetts along with Colorado has even adopted the Declaration of Independence as binding law. Also, English common law stops being effective in American courts on July 4, 1776. This is highly noteworthy because it shows that the new laws of our country begin with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Moreover, throughout the course of judicial history the Declaration of Independence has been used to effectively create and revise laws.
