the very idea

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.

Thomas Jefferson, Author of The Declaration of Independence

Thomas Paine, the Man Who Galvanized Independence

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

The Charters of Freedom

Transcription of the Declaration of Independence

Watch: John Adams - Congress Approving Independence

Watch: Reading The Declaration in Independence Hall