declaration of independence of USA

The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4

INFLUENCES:
The English political theorist John Locke is usually cited as one of the primary influences on the Declaration. Historian Garry Wills argued that Jefferson was influenced by the Scottish Enlightenment, particularly Francis Hutcheson, rather than Locke. Historian David Armitage argues that the first sentence of the Declaration was strongly influenced by Emerich de Vattel's The Law of Nations. Benjamin Franklin said of this book in December 1775 that it was "continually in the hands of the members of our Congress."

^SIGNING:
The date when the Declaration was signed has long been the subject of debate. Within a decade after the event, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams all wrote that the Declaration had been signed by Congress on July 4, 1776.