27 Things You Should Know About USA Independence

Fascinating facts about America's birth

1

The Declaration wasn't signed on July 4th - most signatures were added August 2nd, 1776

2

Only 2 people actually signed the Declaration on July 4th - John Hancock and Charles Thomson

3

The Revolutionary War had been raging for over a year before independence was declared

4

Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft in just 17 days at age 33

5

The Liberty Bell wasn't rung on July 4th, 1776 - that's a myth created in the 1840s

6

John Adams believed July 2nd would be celebrated - the day Congress voted for independence

7

About 1/3 of colonists remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution

8

The Declaration originally condemned slavery, but this was removed to gain Southern support

9

The average age of the signers was 45 - the youngest was 26, the oldest 70

10

The Declaration was first read publicly on July 8th, 1776 in Philadelphia

11

There are 26 surviving copies of the first printed Declaration from July 4th, 1776

12

The word "independence" only appears once in the Declaration

13

The original Declaration was handwritten on parchment, not paper

14

The Declaration lists 27 grievances against King George III

15

The Declaration was hidden during WWII at Fort Knox along with the Constitution

16

The first Independence Day celebration at the White House was in 1801

17

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 - the 50th anniversary

18

The Declaration has five parts: Introduction, Preamble, Indictment, Denunciation, and Conclusion

19

The original Declaration was nearly destroyed by British troops in 1814

20

July 4th didn't become a federal holiday until 1870

21

The Declaration was written with iron gall ink, which has faded over time

22

There were 56 signers from all 13 colonies - no representatives from Georgia signed on July 4th

23

The Declaration mentions "Nature's God" but not Jesus or Christianity specifically

24

The original Declaration is now extremely fragile and kept in a titanium case filled with argon gas

25

The Declaration was first published in newspapers, not proclaimed from rooftops

26

The Declaration's famous opening was inspired by Enlightenment philosopher John Locke

27

The Declaration has been called "America's birth certificate" but didn't create any legal government

Freedom's Foundation

These truths remain self-evident. Bookmark this story to revisit America's revolutionary origins.

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