The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 to give the original thirteen colonies their independence from Great Britain. There was a five member committee responsible for creating a draft of the Declaration. Jefferson name the first draft: A Declaration by the Representatives of the United States of America (Becker 1922). Thomas Jefferson actually wrote the original draft on July 2 but it was not officially signed until July 4. The Declaration was written to justify the US independence by listing grievances the colonies had with King George III. Some scholars believe the Declaration has become more of a document for human rights and other political issues. The Declaration is the center piece of the way we live in America. The document …show more content…
The Declaration of Independence was meant to represent the belief of the colonies, that liberty, truth, justice, and equality, is about their rights. However, Armitage states, “Declaration of Independence was not meant as a declaration of rights" (Bond 2009). Benjamin Franklin was one of the most successful founding fathers of our nation and helped establish American independence from Great Britain. Four and a half months after the Union defeated the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. Abraham Lincoln explained in his Gettysburg Address, it was a principle upon which the American nation was founded, the Declaration of Independence. (Gajek 2014). Lincoln transformed a Union of states into a national union. The famous opening of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address - referring to the Declaration of Independence - is today perceived as the confirmation of the commonly known truth that equality is an inherent part of the American Creed and the American political tradition from its very beginning (Gajek 2014). In Lincoln’s speech, everyone was considered as equal in importance. At the end of Lincoln’s speech, he says the government functions by the people, without the people, there is no nation, and that government for the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the