Was The Declaration Of Independence Justified?

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The creation of the Declaration of Independence, the moment that made the 13 colonies ' independence from Britain official, was one of the most significant points in U.S. history. But while their declaration was set in stone, the motive behind the colonists ' decision is something that historians have split opinions on. While the 13 colonies acted on their own during their early years, a sense of unity was created by the First Continental Congress, where the delegates from the colonies decided to make the British imposement upon colonial rights known to everyone.The main purpose of the Declaration was to announce the colonies’ separation, as well as claiming that they had the right to do so. They justified this act in the document by listing a number of grievances that the people had against the King, including unfair taxation, various laws that limited the colonists’ freedom, and the lack of representation that the colonies had in the British Parliament. Some historians argue that the Declaration of …show more content…

To begin with, the Declaration was written to rally the colonists against Britain because they did not want much opposition against the war they wanted to start. At the time, the colonies were divided into three groups: Patriots, who supported the Revolution, Loyalists, who supported Britain’s rule, and the undecided. The majority of the population were either Loyalists or did not choose a side. In order for the Revolution to happen, the Patriots needed a way to convince the others to join their side, and the Declaration was perfect. According to Howard Zinn, “Everything the Declaration of Independence was about… was well-suited to unite large numbers of colonists and persuade even those who had grievances against one another to turn against England.” The writers of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson and others, hoped that their document would be as successful as Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, in the sense that it would change many people’s mindset about

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