The 5th of September, 1774 the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to discuss a plan for resistance. Every colony sent representatives except for Georgia. The representatives believed as most of their constituents, that they should remain as subjects to the Crown. However, they hoped that King George III would resolve the differences between themselves and the Parliament. They would receive no avail from the King, and this infuriated them further.
By April 1775 war had begun with the clash of British troops and American Militia at the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and nearby Concord. The Second Continental Congress then met in May 1775, desperate to come to a resolution. The delegates, after long debate, again petitioned the King for a final hope of reconciliation with the United Kingdom in July 1775. The King again ignored their requests and declared the colonies to be in rebellion.
As the fighting continued the hopes of any kind of reconciliation had faded and the time had come to make a stand for a new nation to be created. Richard Henry Lee introduced his famous resolution stating " these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states". The Congress then appointed a committee to draft a declaration of independence. Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was given the task to compose the document, and completed his draft in only two weeks. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Adams of Massachusetts made a few minor changes.
Congress approved the Lee resolution on the 2nd of July 1776, and began to debate Thomas Jefferson's draft. Only a few passages were removed. Mostly the debate was about what style was to be used. Finally, on the 4th of July 1776, the Congress adopted the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. The birth of our nation has since been celebrated on that day.
The document was signed by John Hancock as President of the Second Continental Congress, and by Charles Thomson, the Secretary.
