By Larry Sterk

The Years Leading Up to The Declaration of Independence 

In the years leading up to the Declaration of Independence a series of British laws and policies from the British government reshaped the relationship between Great Britain and it’s American colonies.  These series of events gradually pushed the thirteen colonies toward cooperation and unity and declaring their independence. 

The Stamp Act of 1765 prompted several colonies to send representatives to the Stamp Act Congress, marking one of the first organized joint responses to British policy. The Townsend Acts that followed led colonies to coordinate widespread boycotts of British goods. The Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773 spread quickly through colonial communication networks, drawing attention across the region.

When the British responded with the Intolerance Act, colonies viewed this measure as a threat to all, leading to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Disputes with the British over authority escalated into open conflict in 1775, beginning with armed clashes at Lexington and Concord. This armed conflict at Lexington and Concord pushed the colonies to form the Second Continental Congress, which acted as a central body as they moved closer to declaring their independence.

The publication of Thomas Paine’s pamphlet, Common Sense, in January 1776 played a pivotal role in shaping public opinion, advocating for complete separation from Britain and inspiring widespread support for independence. Enlightenment ideals, particularly those emphasizing natural rights and government by consent, influenced the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, asserting that all men are endowed by their Creator with unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

As the situation intensifies, these representatives from the thirteen colonies meeting in Philadelphia coordinated their response, eventually deciding to issue a formal declaration announcing their separation from British rule.  On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a resolution declaring colonies free and independent states.  A committee of five, chaired by Thomas Jefferson, drafted the Declaration of Independence, incorporating colonial grievances and Enlightenment principles.  Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and ratified the Declaration of Independence on July 4, formally announcing the colonies separation from Britain. 

Thus, the Declaration of Independence emerged from a combination of political oppression, economic restrictions, lack of representation, armed conflict, and revolutionary ideology.  The colonies were unified under a common cause justifying their break from Britain and laying the foundation for the creation of the United States.

From Slovenian Dukes of Carinthia to Enlightenment Thought

On November 28, 1967, Frank J. Lausche, our US Senator from Ohio, introduced into the Congressional Record the text of French legal historian and philosopher Jean Bodin’s The Six Books of the Republic.  Senator Lausche entered the text to highlight its reference to the ancient Slovenian ritual of installing Carinthian Dukes.  Thomas Jefferson was familiar with Jean Bodin’s work and historians suggest that these Slovenian traditions particularly the ritual installation of the Dukes of Carinthia may have influenced Thomas Jefferson’s thinking when drafting the Declaration of Independence.

The Slovenian practice emphasized that rulers should be of the people, competent, and concerned with the solemn duty to be righteous.  These principles – that leaders derive their authority from the governed and must serve them – are central to the Declaration of Independence’s assertion that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

The ancient rite required the ruler-elect to negotiate and agree to the people’s terms before taking the throne.  This ritual’s democratic underpinnings – popular sovereignty, accountability, and right to appoint leaders – align closely with the Declaration’s core political philosophy.  Historians cite this practice as a primary inspiration for the contractual theory of government ultimately utilized by Thomas Jefferson’s (the primary author of the Declaration of Independence).

Besides the Slovenian ritual of installation of the Dukes of Carinthia, Enlightenment thinkers also influenced Thomas Jefferson when drafting the Declaration of Independence. Thinkers during this period were: John Locke, Voltaire, Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Denis Direrot, Immanual Kant. Enlightenment ideas made the transition from tradition to reason, individualism and scientific thought.  It spurred ideas like liberty, progress and separation of church and state. These ideals influenced both the American and French revolutions.  

The Declaration of Independence is more than a declaration of independence, it is a profound embodiment of principle regarding individual rights, governmental legitimacy, and popular sovereignty.  Its enduring significance and continuing relevance shape our understanding of freedom, justice and the relationship between individuals and the state.  These aspirational ideals remain today in modern democracy governance and with the ongoing challenges in an ever-changing world.

Declaration of Independence painted by John Trumbull (oil on canvas 1818)
Note: this painting is featured on the back of the $2-dollar Federal Reserve Note.

Declaration of Independence painted by John Trumbull

John Trumbull (1756-1843), was an American painter and Revolutionary War veteran.  In 1786, while visiting Thomas Jefferson in Paris, Jefferson encouraged him to depict the Declaration of Independence.  Trumbull first created a small version of the painting (21” x 31”) which is held by the Yale University Art Gallery.

In 1817 the U.S. Congress commissioned John Trumbull to paint four large scenes (12’ X 18’) of the American Revolution for the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.  The four paintings are titled: Declaration of Independence, Surrender of General Burgoyne, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, and General George Washington Resigning His Commission.  The paintings were meant to visually celebrate the nation’s founding and educate future generations about key events of the Revolution.  The Declaration of Independence depicts the  committee charged with drafting the declaration  (composed of: John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin) presenting the draft of the Declaration of Independence on June 28, 1776 to John Hancock, President of the Second Continental Congress.