The debate went on. In June it was decided that a committee be formed to write a draft of the declaration, which would be decided upon on July 1st. The committee was formed, its members being Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. To Jefferson was assigned the actual task of writing the Declaration, as it was agreed that he was the most powerful writer of the group.
A draft was written and agreed upon by the committee. On July 1st it was brought before the delegates of the Second Continental Congress, representing all of the 13 colonies currently involved in the war.
A vote was made, but the colonies were not unanimous. Independence still seemed to be too large a step for many. Debate continued on into the next day, and the next. Finally, on the morning of July 4th, 1776, the colonies all signed the Declaration of Independence, with the chairman of the Congress John Hancock famously leading the way.
It was now time, the American cause was clear. They were no longer rebels fighting their government, they were a new nation fighting to repel an occupying power. The United States was born. On that July 4th America became independent and we now celebrate Independence Day every year on this day.
Solidifying Independence
Although independence had been declared, it would take years of fighting for American independence to become a reality. As the tide continually turned towards the Revolutionaries, more and more colonists turned to the Patriots’ side.
The British general Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington on October 19th, 1781 at Yorktown. The British had been defeated through the sheer tenacity of the American patriots, who despite overwhelming odds would not give up in their fight for independence.
Negotiations between the two countries began. On September 3rd, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed. Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. The Declaration made seven years prior became reality, the United States was truly its own nation.