Common Sense (1776)

- Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that helped convince thousands of colonists to support independence from Great Britain.


Signing of the Declaration

- In June of 1776, the Continental Congress agreed that a Declaration of Independence needed to be written.


Declaration of Independence

- On July 4, 1776, the delegates accepted the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson.


3 main parts:

1 – All people have equal rights.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

2 – Great Britain had treated the colonists wrongfully.

3 – The colonies were now an independent country known as the United States of America.