Thomas Jefferson was the author of one of our most important historical documents, The Declaration of Independence, and our country’s third President. The document was born out of the original thirteen colonies’ dissatisfaction with the rule of Great Britain.
The Declaration was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 and signed by most of the delegates on August 2, 1776. Today, it is on display in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
The American Revolution began in 1775, but the events that soured the relationship between the colonies and The British Crown started much earlier. The British government taxed the colonies to help offset the cost of The Seven Years’ War with France. The colonial citizens were enraged because they did not have a representative in parliament. The tensions escalated from there and The American Revolution did not end until 1783, when The Treaty of Paris was signed, recognizing America as independent.
The first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective and had to be melted down and recast. The third version rang every Fourth of July from 1778 to 1835, when, according to legend, it cracked as it was being tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.
