United States Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States, formally headed The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on 4 July 1776 at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. Principally drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it explains why the Thirteen Colonies considered themselves independent sovereign states no longer subject to British rule, grounding that break in a statement of natural rights, including that "all men are created equal" and are endowed with unalienable rights to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," followed by a lengthy list of grievances against King George III. Its signers, who became known as the nation's Founding Fathers, pledged their "Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor" to the cause of independence. The Declaration has since become one of the most reprinted, circulated and influential political documents in world history, admired well beyond the United States as an early and enduring statement of the principle that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed.