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At the time of the signing the US consisted of 13 colonies under
the rule of England's King George III. Leading up to the signing, there had been growing unrest in the colonies surrounding the
taxes that colonists were required to pay to England. The major objection was "Taxation without Representation" -- the colonists
had no say in the decisions of English Parliament. |
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Rather than negotiating, King George sent extra troops to the colonies to help control any rebellion that might be arising. The following timeline will give you a crash course in the history that lead to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and America's break from British rule. |
| 1774 - The 13 colonies send delegates to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to form the First Continental Congress. While unrest was brewing, the colonies were far from ready to declare war. |
| April 1775 - King George's troops advance on Concord, Massachusetts, prompting Paul Revere's midnight ride that sounded the alarm "The British are coming, the British are coming." |
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The subsequent battle of Concord, famous for being the "shot heard round the world," would mark the unofficial beginning of the American Revolution. |
| May 1776 - After nearly a year of trying to work our their differences with England, the colonies again send delegates to the Second Continental Congress. |
| June 1776 - Admitting that their efforts were hopeless, a committee was formed to compose the formal Declaration of Independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the committee also included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman. |
| June 28, 1776 - Jefferson presents the first draft of the declaration to congress. |
