Midterm Essay: The Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wanted to be the one to be remembered for writing the Declaration of Independence, even though it was an important part of the well-known written piece, he had some help from exceptional men. Jefferson wanted to do everything he could to help his fellow Americans from tyranny. The Declaration of Independence was drafted in 1776 by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson. Three of these men (Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson) are known to have been among the Founding Fathers. In drafting the Declaration, Jefferson had many motivations. "Jefferson wished to record the British people as the last. These men were called colonizers, and the colonization of the New World progressed over the years. While these colonies were being created, they were at the same time still being ruled and exploited by the English. The colonies were not they were happy to be ruled by the English, they specifically thought King George III was horrible. The complaints about the statement show how unjust King George was: "He plundered our seas," ravaged our coasts, burned our cities and destroyed the lives of our people" (Jefferson). Dissatisfaction with the British government and the king is what led to the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was basically an official document written by the colonies to the English who would no longer want to be associated with them. The first sentence of the Declaration illustrates this another" (Jefferson ) It was as if the colonists were telling the king that they no longer needed anything from him, nor did they want anything to do with him. Ultimately the Declaration was what led to the American Revolutionary War as Britain simply did not want to let go of the New World and the resources that came with it. July 4, 1776 is the day the Continental Congress passed the Declaration of Independence. This day represents the Declaration and the birth of the States United States of America as an independent nation. The Declaration of Independence began the creation of the United States' own identity. The identity also includes the practice of freedom, individual rights, and democracy religious freedom, there are many religions practiced in America and everyone has the right to practice the religion they believe in. In the Declaration, when it says, "who are endowed by their Creator with inherent powers" (Jefferson) it means that people can choose who "their" creator is. Another part of the identity is respect for human rights, even the accused have rights and that torture is an unjust punishment. The idea of ​​“innocent until proven guilty.” These are just a few examples of the identity of the United States even today. Since the Declaration of Independence, America has built its identity and continues to build it every day. This is just another reason why the Declaration of Independence is the most important act in American history to this day